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The DINOSAURS of Wyoming

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The DINOSAURS of Wyoming 'The CVinosaurs of Wyoming By ROY L. MOODIE, Ph. D. Santa Monica, California Cl9he W yorning Geological Survey JOHN G. MARZEL Director and State Qeologist BULLETIN XXII '5he Dinosaurs of Wyoming 1930 Tragedy of the Mesozoic All the elements of deep tragedy were present during the closing stages of the Age of Reptiles. The ponderous dino­ saurian reptile, many feet long, and thousands of pounds in weight, was a failure. Mother Nature had, through millions of years, given the dinosaurs e\'ery chance to succeed in the development of a race, ancestral to later, higher forms. Ex­ periment after experiment, yielding the curious and the biz­ arre, had all failed. One by one dinosaur groups had ap­ peared, run their course, and disappeared in extinction. What more is needed in a successful tragic drama than the powerful pathos, inability of adjustment to changed environments, and certain disastrous end? The dinosaurian reptile, here de­ picted, was the last of his race, a sad hero of the Mesozoic. Yet provident Nature had not been idle nor thoughtless, for way back in the Triassic Period, when the dinosaurs began their earthly course, the Mammals, derived from other rep­ tiles, also had their beginning. They \'vere dominated by reptiles of sea, land and air throughout the Age of Reptiles, and during the entire Mesozoic the Mammals remained small and inconspicuous; many of them doubtless arboreal in the Cretaceous days and living their lives remote from the dino­ saurs. Others, resem bling the rodents, lived in holes in the ground, or in crevices among the rocks. So at the close of the great Age of Reptiles-The Mesozoic -the stage was set for a great tragedy, the extinction of th(' Dinosaurs! The Mammal (on the right), inconsiderable in size, whether marsupial, multituberculate or just any Meso­ zoic Mammal. specializing in brain power, stands ready tL assume, unafraid, a leadership of untold possibilities, whic"h he and his kind later maintained throughout tl:e Age of Mam­ mals, the Cenozoic. and still maintain in the Age of Man. \~ ci bD < r---......\.. \. \ \ ~ .5 Dedicated to My Teacher in Paleontology SAMUEL WENDELL WILLISTON in Memory of .... Our Many Fossil Hunts in WYOMING The DINOSAURS of Wyoming By ROY L. MOODIE, Ph. D., Santa Monica, California FIRST EDITION 500 COPIES WYOMING GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHEYENNE, WYOMING 1930 Price $ /. 50 Post Paid .- The Capitol Press .~ Cheyenne, Wyoming .. CONTENTS Preface ............................................................................................ Xl I. V,That Are the Dinosaurs ? 14 II. The Geological Age of the Dinosaurs 17 III. Their Origin and Distribution Throughout the World 20 IV. Historical Account of the Discovery of Dino- saurs in Wyoming 26 V. Methods of Collecting Dinosaur Bones 29 VI. Some Famous Collectors and Collections of Dinosaurs 3S VII. Occurrence of Dinosaurs in the State of 'vVyo- ming _ 41 VIII. The Different Kinds of Dinosaurs 44 IX. The Dinosaur-Bearing Rocks of Wyoming 46 X. Evidences of Disease and Injury Among the Dinosaurs 48 XI. Structure of the Bones of Dinosaurs S6 XII. The "Sacral Brain" of Dinosaurs S9 XIII. Dinosaur Mummies 65 XIV. Footprints of Dinosaurs 67 XV. The Armored Dinosaurs in Wyoming and Else- where 70 XVI. The Amphibious Dinosauria 83 XVII. The Carnivorous Dinosauria and Their Food ProblelTI 88 XVIII. The Three-Horned Dinosauria 97 XIX. Animals 'Nhich Lived 'vVith the Dinosaurs 110 XX. Wyoming Dinosaurs Abroad 113 XXI. List of vVritings 115 XXII. Glossary c..••.....••••......••••...••: ••••... 118 vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Title Page Design.-Three-Horned Dinosaur. Frontispiece.-The Tragedy of the Mesozoic. Figure I.-Diagram of Geological History __ . _. __ . __ 19 Figure 2.--Map of the World Showing Dinosaur Localities and Prob- able Migratory Routes of the Sauropoda.__ . _. .. 21 Figure 3.-The Same Map Showing Localities and Migratory Routes of the Theropoda ._ . .. _. .. .. __ 23 Figure 4.-Amphibious Dinosaurs. A Dinosaur Skeleton in the Rocks.... .. __ .. __ ._ ..._._. .. 31 Figure 5.-Uncovering a Complete Dinosaur Skeleton .. __ .. 32 Figure 6.-Four Famous Paleontologists _.. _.. __ '_.__ . 37 Figure 7.-Map of Wyoming and Surrounding Territory \!\There Dinosaurs Have Been Found . .. __ _ __ __ 42 Figure 8.-Map of Niobrara County, vVyoming . __ .. _. 43 Figure 9.-Disease in the Tail of Diplodocus.. .. .... _. ... 48 Figure 1O.-Pathologic Lesions in Mesozoic Reptiles.. _.. > •••• _. • 49 Figure 11.-A Section Through a Dinosaur TumoL... 50 Figure 12.-Injuries Among DiI1osaurs.. .... .. __ . •. .... 51 Figure 13.-Tumors and Similar Growths . .. __ 52 Figure 14.-The only known Dinosaurian TumoL. __ ~... 53 Figure 15.-Microscopic Section of Dinosaur Bone.. .. .. 55 Figure 16.-Sections Through a Dinosaur TumoL. 57 Figure 17.-Photomicrographs of Dinosaur Bones____ 58 Head-piece for Section XIII :-Duck-bill DinosauL.__ _ > • __ • __ 64 Figure 17a.-Dinosaur Footprints _ __ ..__ . __ .. 68 Figure 18.-Marsh's Restoration of Stegosaurus.__ . __ .. 69 Figure 19.-A Model of the Stegosaurus _. .__ 71 Figure 20.-A Model of the Muscles of Stegosaurus .__ 72 Figure 21.-The Cranial ,and Sacral "Brains" ._ __ .._ 73 Figure 22.-Sections of the Neck and Body __ . __ _. 74 Figure 23.-Restoration of the Appearance of Stegosaurus_ _... 75 Figure 24.-Mounted Skeleton of a Predentate DinosauL. .. __ 77 Figure 25.-An Armored Dinosaur from Canada.... 78 Figure 26.-Some Recent Lizards._.. .______ __ _. 79 Figure 27.-Skull of an Armored DinosauL. _. _._ __ _81 Tail-piece.-Armored Saurian .__ . ...... ___ .... .____ 82 Figure 28.-The Bone Cabin 'Quarry in Wyoming . __ .._....... .. 84 Figure 29.-Bones from the Tail of a Dinosaur.__ ._. __ ._.____________________ 85 Figure 30.-0utIine of the Nervous System of a DinosauL..... _.____ 86 T'ail-piece.-A Sauropod .. _. _ _. ._ 87 Figure 31.-Ske1eton of the "\Vhip-tail" DinosauL._______ 88 yij~ LIST OF ILLUsTRA'frONS IX Figure 32.-The Largest of the Carnivorous Dinosaurs . 89 Figure 33.-·The Carnivore-Ceratosaurus .. 90 Figure 34.-V/here the Allosaur Bit the Brontosaur. 90 Figure 3S.-The Bird-Catching, Wyoming, Dinosaur. 91 Figure 36.-The Wyom,ing Allosaurus Feeding............... .. 92 Figure 37.-Three Animals Exhibiting Opisthotonos. .. 93· Figure 38.-Skeleton of Tyrannosaurus Rex.................. .. 96 Head-piece.-The Three-Horn .. 94 Figure 39.-Statuette of the Wyoming Triceratops.... .. 97 Figure 40.-Injuries to the Dinosaurs . 98 Figure 41.-Injuries to Fossil Vertebrates . ...100 Figure 42.-Illjuries to Fossil Vertebrates .. .. 103 Figure 43.-A Canadian Horned Dinosaur. .. .105 Figure 44.-Diagram of the Giant Dinosaur Migrations .. .106 Figure 4S.-Dillos:aur Eggs from Asia.. .. .. 109 Figure 46.-A Mesozoic Bird .. ..Ill INTRODUCTION The interest that has been displayed in regard to the dino­ saurs that formerly thrived in Wyoming prompted the pub­ lication of this bulletin. This interest is not surprising. Many million years ago the dinosaur family reached its maximum degree of development in or near the fresh 'water ponds and lakes that dotted the terrain we now call Wyoming. It may seem strange to relate that no work has recently appeared in 'which an attempt is made to review the suprem­ acy of Wyoming in bone and brawn development for all time. To rectify this outstanding omission Dr. Roy L. Moodie, the well-known paleontologist, anatomist and paleopath­ ologist was prevailed upon to write this book under title of "THE DINOSADRS OF WYOMING." Perhaps no savant was better qualified to undertake this important commission. As a hunter of dinosaur fossils, Dr. Moodie covered the most promising areas of \Vyoming during the past 25 year period. Most of this work was done for lead­ ing museums and educational foundations. To many scholars and to those residents of Wyoming who came in contact with him during his research work Dr. Moodie's name and stand­ ing as a scientist needs no further introduction. The composition of Dr. Moodie's manuscript is of the non-technical style, and being profusely illustrated with restorations of Wyoming material that now repose within the larger museums of the world, it is anticipated that this publication will prove to be unusually fascinating. JOH. T G. MARZEL, State Geologist. .- PREFACE The subject of dinosaurs in general, and the dinosaurs of Wyoming in particular, has interested me since the spring of 1904, when for the first time I dropped off the train at Rawlins for a summer's work in the fossil beds of the Wind River Mountain area. I found the party waiting, ready to start in a light wagon equipped with the bows for a canvas cover-a common sight. We soon started on our drive to Lander, one hundred and fifty miles away-a full week's journey in those days. After that summer I spent several more seasons in the Wyoming fossil fields, either vvith Dr. S. \V. Williston as com­ panion or working under his directions. In the many camps we had together Dr. Williston told me of his work at Como Bluffs, excavating dinosaur bones for Professor Marsh; a terribly lonely job during the early winter months of the late seventies. As an amateur dipterologist I had in my bag the second edition of vVilliston's Manual of Jorth American Diptera. I shall never forget the keen pleasure derived from hearing the author tell how in his des­ pair at not being allowed to write about dinosaurs, a form of activity which Professor Marsh reserved for himself, he had turned to the study of the Diptera, a study at which he be­ came famous. But ever mingled in with other talk there was always that background of the huge, ungainly dinosaurian . reptiles, making a unique appeal to our fancy. What were the dinosaurs? Where had they come from? Why had so many lived and left their bones in the area now called \iVyoming? What was their manner of life? To what reptilian group were they related? During the three years I spent in Williston's laboratory as Fellow in Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Chicago, our discussions of dinosaurian affairs were of the greatest interest.
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