This is a TOP QUALITY, SUPER RARE Fossil Molar from a South American Gomphothere, most likely Notiomastodon, from the Pleistocene of Southwest Colombia! The piece is in STUNNING condition with the ONLY imperfection is a bit of one hump that broke off, and measures 7.86 Inches (19.96 cm) long, 6.8 Inches (17.28 cm) tall, 5.01 Inches (12.74 cm) thick, and weighs 6.875 pounds with pristine humps with little feeding wear, a complete root encased in a partial skull, and no repair or restoration! The ONLY imperfection is a bit of one hump that broke off, everything else about this piece is TRULY MUSEUM QUALITY from a VERY rare prehistoric animal from a VERY unique location!
Gomphotheres are close relatives of elephants that lived from 20 million to 11 thousand years ago. These bizarre animals looked mostly like elephants but with many more shapes of tusks and other strange facial features depending on the species. Early Gomphotheres were known to have four tusks, two upper and two lower as opposed to elephants and Mastodons which only have two upper. Later Gomphotheres also had only two upper tusks but the tusks actually spiraled outward! Other crazy features that showed up on some Gomphotheres are long shovel shaped lower jaws, and tusks that jutted out to the side and curved inward forming a "U" shape, and four large straight tusks. Notiomastodon was of the aforementioned "U" shape tusk variety. Estimates of its size vary from about 8 to 10 feet at the shoulder and 4 to 8 tons. It first appeared about 800 thousand years ago and went extinct at the end of the Ice Age 11 thousand years ago.
Gomphothere fossils are substantially rarer that their counterparts Mammoths and Mastodons. A great opportunity to own a TRULY MUSEUM QUALITY piece from a VERY rare and bizarre Ice Age mammal from a super rare and unique location!
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Species: Gomphotheriidae, most likely Notiomastodon
Size: 7.86 Inches (19.96 cm) long, 6.8 Inches (17.28 cm) tall, 5.01 Inches (12.74 cm) thick, and weighs 6.875 pounds
Found: Southwest Colombia
Age: Late Pleistocene 800 to 11 thousand years
Repair: None