Synthetoceras Tricornatus Skull Replica

Description

Synthetoceras tricornatus skull replica is 23.5 x 9.5 x 18.0 inches. Synthetoceras tricornatus is museum-quality polyurethane resin cast from University of California Berkeley specimen. No Mandible. 1:1 scale. Made in USA.

** Restricted sale to Museums **

Synthetoceras is a large, extinct protoceratid, endemic to North America ( Nebraska ) during the Late Miocene, 10.3—5.3 Ma, existing for approximately 5 million years. Fossils have been recovered from Nebraska and Texas.

With a length of 2 m (6.6 ft.) and a mass of 150–200 kg (330–440 lb.), Synthetoceras was the largest member of its family.

It was also the last, and had what is considered to be the protoceratids’ strangest set of horns. The two horns above its eyes looked fairly normal and similar to those of many modern horned mammals, but on its snout it had a bizarre, long horn with a forked tip that gave it a Y shape. Only males had this strange horn, and they probably used it in territorial fights.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Artiodactyla
• Family: †Protoceratidae
• Genus: †Synthetoceras Stirton, 1932
• Species: †S. tricornatus
• Binomial name: †Synthetoceras tricornatus
• Temporal range: Late Miocene (Hemphillian) 12.5–4.7 Ma

While these species exhibit striking headgear, their structure is fundamentally different. The male caribou skull replica features deciduous antlers that grow from permanent bony pedicles. Similarly, the moose skull replica and the American elk skull replica showcase seasonally shed antlers that reach massive proprotions. In contrast, the synthetoceras tricornatus skull showcases three permanent, bone-covered horns, including a unique, Y-shaped rostral horn found only in males.