The discovery of this specimen led to the golden age of paleontology in North America. After acquiring this fossil from fur traders, Dr. Hiram Prout wrote about it in 1846. His description captured the attention of scientists. At that time, vertebrate paleontology , the study of ancient creatures with a backbone, was a young science. Many began to do further field work on fossils from the western United States.

Titanotheres ate leafy plants and thrived in the warm, subtropical climate. Their family lineage became extinct as climate and habitats changed. Rock layers younger than the Chadron Formation show no evidence of titanothere fossils in the park.

Titanothere
Megacerops

These huge herbivores resemble modern rhinoceroses but were from a different family. All titanotheres became extinct around 34 million years ago. Many titanthere fossils have been found in this area.

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Show me all markers in:  Wall, SD  |  Jackson County  |  57790  |  South Dakota  |  United States of America

See Ya Later, Alligator
Under the Sea
Off to the Races
Fight for Survival
Dying to Become a Fossil
What a Find!
Bands of Time
It's a Dog's Life
Reading the Rocks
A 75-Million-Year Walk

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