This auction has ended. View lot details
You may also be interested in
Lot 1056
Exceptional, Very Large T. rex Tooth – An Unsurpassed Marvel
27 May 2010, 13:00 EDT
New YorkUS$12,000 - US$15,000
Looking for a similar item?
Our Natural History specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistExceptional, Very Large T. rex Tooth – An Unsurpassed Marvel
Tyrannosaurus rex
Late Cretaceous
Hell Creek Formation , Harding County, South Dakota
The unusual appearance and exceedingly large size of this Tyrannosaurus rex tooth places it in a category of its own in terms of value and rarity. The presence of blue-gray and yellow dendrites is consistent with the result of the action of stomach acid leaching minerals from the tooth. Thus, the tooth is thought to have broken off and been swallowed, perhaps during combat. Stomach acid would have etched most of the cutting surface on one half of the tooth. Still possessing excellent serrations along the anterior and posterior cutting edges, or carinae, despite its prolonged acid bath, this is an impressive tooth of nearly maximum size for the species and is excellently preserved. Collected in 1984 near the town of Buffalo, South Dakota on private ranch land, the 68-65-million-year-old specimen exhibits an interesting dark chocolate-brown color with a reddish-oxide cast alongside generous amounts of the blue-gray and yellow checking and dendrites described above. Based on its shape and size, the specimen is most likely from the anterior maxilla (upper jaw.) The enamel blade portion of the tooth is 4 inches in length.
Tyrannosaurus rex was the largest, most powerful carnivorous dinosaur of all time, and the largest land carnivore of any type in Earth's history. It measured up to 43 feet in length and weighed up to 8 tons (16,000 pounds.) Its massive skull measured up to 5 feet in length and was lined with huge spike-like teeth that were more robust than the teeth of any other theropod, as is beautifully illustrated by the present remarkable specimen. Length measures 4 3/8in; Width measures 1 5/8in; Thickness measures 1 1/8in
Late Cretaceous
Hell Creek Formation , Harding County, South Dakota
The unusual appearance and exceedingly large size of this Tyrannosaurus rex tooth places it in a category of its own in terms of value and rarity. The presence of blue-gray and yellow dendrites is consistent with the result of the action of stomach acid leaching minerals from the tooth. Thus, the tooth is thought to have broken off and been swallowed, perhaps during combat. Stomach acid would have etched most of the cutting surface on one half of the tooth. Still possessing excellent serrations along the anterior and posterior cutting edges, or carinae, despite its prolonged acid bath, this is an impressive tooth of nearly maximum size for the species and is excellently preserved. Collected in 1984 near the town of Buffalo, South Dakota on private ranch land, the 68-65-million-year-old specimen exhibits an interesting dark chocolate-brown color with a reddish-oxide cast alongside generous amounts of the blue-gray and yellow checking and dendrites described above. Based on its shape and size, the specimen is most likely from the anterior maxilla (upper jaw.) The enamel blade portion of the tooth is 4 inches in length.
Tyrannosaurus rex was the largest, most powerful carnivorous dinosaur of all time, and the largest land carnivore of any type in Earth's history. It measured up to 43 feet in length and weighed up to 8 tons (16,000 pounds.) Its massive skull measured up to 5 feet in length and was lined with huge spike-like teeth that were more robust than the teeth of any other theropod, as is beautifully illustrated by the present remarkable specimen. Length measures 4 3/8in; Width measures 1 5/8in; Thickness measures 1 1/8in