Fossil Fox Skull | Hesperocyon | South Dakota

Specimen approx. size: 4" x 2" x 1.5"

This specimen does have crack fill. This is a common restoration practice to solidify the bone. 

Hesperocyon is an extinct genus of canids that lived in North America during the Eocene through the Oligocene, approximately 30 million years ago. Hesperocyon was on of the earliest members of the family Canidae. However, their appearance was more like that of a civet or a mongoose. They were about two and a half feet long, with a slender body. Its body and tail were long and flexible, while its limbs were short and weak. Hesperocyon may not have looked much like a dog as we know them today, but they have been confirmed to be canids. The build of its auditory ossicles and its carnassial teeth are the key identifying features. Like most modern dogs, Hesperocyon was probably predominantly a carnivore, but may have also eaten fruits and vegetables.