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Below is the photo of Mesohippus collected by @lcone in the Nebraska badlands
I was very excited when fossil enthusiasts came together the second week in August to collect late Eocene and Oligocene fossils from classic localities in the Nebraska badlands. I was particularly happy when some really cool specimens of the fossil horse Mesohippus were found.
That specimen cleaned up nicely. I cannot believe how beautiful the enamel is on the teeth. Were you able to do anything with the associated mesohippus leg pieces, or were there too many missing pieces to reconstruct? This was the highlight of a great myFOSSIL trip.
Hi Lee @lcone,
I haven’t had a chance to clean up the possibly-associated Mesohippus leg pieces, but I’ll let you know what we do with them once we get to them! That maxilla was an awesome find and glued together perfectly.
Yes, I agree that the Mesohippus cleaned up beautifully. This horse was pivotal in the evolution of the family and you can see it because all of the “cheek” teeth–premolars and molars are molarized (squared off), which makes them a better chewing battery for plant foods. Mesohippus is the first genus of fossil horse in which this occurs.
It will be nice to see what Rachel comes up with when the limbs are cleaned up.
The color of the badlands Mesohippus teeth (and other fossils too) contrasted with the creamy background of the bone makes them beautiful specimens, as you note Lee!
These are the associated Mesohippus leg pieces! Better late than never! And definitely a great find.
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