ULTRA RARE DIADECTES INCISOR TOOTH FROM THE FIRST LARGE TERRESTRIAL TETRAPOD

Wellington Formation - Oklahoma, U.S.A.

PERMIAN PERIOD:  280 - 265 million years ago

Collected from the Wellington Formation of Oklahoma, U.S.A. several decades ago, this is an ULTRA RARE tooth from an extremely important vertebrate in the Earth's history.  This is an incisor tooth of DIADECTES, one of the first herbivorous tetrapods on the planet and the first entirely terrestrial large tetrapod. 

This is the first and only Diadectes fossil we have to offer of this very unusual early tetrapod.  Aside from its extreme rarity, it is a spectacular and complete example of a large incisor tooth.  For the ultimate in rare prehistoric vertebrate fossil teeth, this one is a MUST.  This tooth is INTACT with only minor natural feeding wear on the tip.  It has a unique spoon-shaped anatomy which was designed to strip vegetation from its base and such design represented the earliest and most advanced dentition specialization for a terrestrial plant eater.  The enamel is intact and naturally lustrous.  ULTRA RARE and highly recommended !  NO REPAIR OR RESTORATION. 
 

DIADECTES was a very large, earliest known quadruped that lived purely on land, not in the water like many of the large amphibious vertebrates of the Permian Era.  Diadectes possessed a blend of amphibian and reptilian qualities but most noteworthy is the fact that this was one of the first large herbivores on the Earth.  The dentition of Diadectes was highly specialized for a diet of vegetation.  The anterior spatulate "vegetation stripping" teeth and posterior grinding molars were designed in a manner that was not found in any other Permian creature. 

Diadectes was a very large creature for its day at 1.5 to 3 meters long.  It had a very thick skeletal structure supporting a robust and heavy body design.  

ULTRA RARE - ONLY SPECIMEN IN AN ENTIRE COLLECTION FROM THE ORIGINAL DIGGER

HIGHLY UNCOMMON IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS AS WELL AS MUSEUM INVENTORIES!

.45" long

$395     DT22-015     INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX     Actual Item - One Only

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