Fossil Dinosaur Large Rare 5.7" Condyle Bone Triceratops Montana COA 4088

Description

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this specimen.
Here is a rare genuine Condyle bone from a Triceratops horridus, from the late Cretaceous, as late as 68-66 million years ago, the end of the Reign of Dinosaurs.
It has been positively identified as a Triceratops horridus, as it was part of a dinosaur that was identifiable, but too heavily eroded to recover much of the skeleton.
It measures about
5.7 inches at the longest measurement. The "ball" part of the Condyle is about 3.8" in one direction and about 3.3" in the other
.
It weighs 3 lbs. 8.4 oz.
It is from Hell Creek Formation in Montana.
The Condyle bone is one of the most important bones in the body of a dinosaur, and this Triceratops is no different. Looking a bit like a "trailer hitch", this round "ball" piece sticks out of the back of the Triceratops skull, and articulates with the first cervical (neck) vertebra. In other words, the Condyle is the bone that connects the massive head with the body. The round shape also allows the head to move side to side, up and down, and rotate in a circular motion.  Hard to get more important than that!  Only one Condyle per Triceratops.
When these are being excavated, they are usually found in the ground in pieces, lying next to other pieces of the same bone. Excavators will put a strong glue on the pieces in the field, to keep them properly together. This is absolutely not considered damage, it is standard procedure with dinosaur bones.  That appears to be the case here.
The Condyle ball here is virtually complete. A bit of what may be another bone or rock is on one side.
Triceratops is one of the most famous of all dinosaurs, with its huge head, tough bony frill, and three sharp horns in the front. The movie, Jurassic Park, features a sick Triceratops that Ellie cared for.
The largest Triceratops grew to over 28 feet in length, and weighed up to 13 tons. It was, however, a plant-eater, with a beaked jaw and hundreds of teeth (up to 800) packed closely together for chewing the plants.
There are two different Triceratops: horridus and prorsus. The horridus are always found in ground below the prorsus, so they are older. The horridus have a smaller nose horn and larger beak than the prorsus.
A very interesting and authentic large fossilized piece of a famous species of dinosaur.
We are happy to enclose a COA (Certificate of Authenticity).
Some words of caution about COA’s: Do not let them become a substitute for learning about the fossils. We have been working with fossils for many years, and we have seen hundreds of very nice-looking COA’s, some that are wrong, mis-describing a specimen. In addition, the person selling the item is often the one who writes the COA (potential conflict of interest). Finally, a COA without a photo of the exact item described, tied to that COA, is worthless, as it can later be placed next to any other
fossil.
We suggest that instead of relying on a COA, that people read and study the subject.
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