This is a BEAUTIFUL Top Quality Fossil Molar from a Gomphothere from the Early Miocene of China (see below for details)! The pieces measures 5.66 Inches (14.38 cm) long, 5.4 Inches (13.71 cm) tall, 3.01 Inches (7.64 cm) thick, and weighs 2.73 pounds with a fantastic root and no repair or restoration!
This piece has a rather interesting history. I acquired it from a gentleman selling off his collection that he had for decades and had unfortunately lost most of the information on. I Identified the piece as a Gomphothere molar and after comparing it's color and texture to other Gomphothere molars found the closest match to be the early to middle Miocene Gomphotheres of China's Gansu Province, a place in which fossils were once prevalent on the market before their export was banned. I then showed the piece to a paleontologist from the Florida Museum of Natural History who confirmed that it was from a primitive Gomphothere, the sort that were prevalent in the early and middle Miocene, and that the color and preservation were very similar to Gomphothere fossils from China. So what does this all mean? It's difficult to say for certain because the information about this piece was lost to time. But it is definitely from a Gomphothere and is most likely from the Early to Middle Miocene of China, imported into and sold in the U.S. before the export ban. If so, that would make the piece an extremely rare piece of paleontology with potential species including Protanancus, several early species of Gomphotherium, and even the infamous shovel tusk Platybelodon!
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. The Gomphotheres from the Miocene of China date back to near the beginning of Gomphothere evolution. They included Protanancus, several early species of Gomphotherium, and even the infamous shovel tusk Platybelodon! These fossils are particularly difficult to come by due to an export ban on all such fossils out of the country. The only way to acquire such fossils are from specimens exported out before the ban (such as this one) which on occasion become available on the fossil market.
Gomphothere fossils are substantially rarer that their counterparts Mammoths and Mastodons. A great opportunity to own a top quality piece from a rare location of a rare and bizarre extinct mammal!
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Species: Gomphotheriidae
Size: 5.66 Inches (14.38 cm) long, 5.4 Inches (13.71 cm) tall, 3.01 Inches (7.64 cm) thick, and weighs 2.73 pounds
Found: Gansu Province, China
Age: Early to Middle Miocene 20 to 10 million years (see above for details)
Repair: None