H H,11 Offo Il V Rt Brate
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RI R L HI TOR h H,11 ofFo il V rt brate BY \ ' . tth \ I I . I . J( IL 1 uid American Museum of Natural History OFFICERS AND STAFF President, MORRIS K. JESUP First Vice-President, econd Vice-President, WILLIAM E. DODGE HENRY F. OSBORN Treasurer, CHARLES LANIER Assistant to the President, HERMON C. BuMPCS ecretary and Assistant Treasurer, JOHN H. WINSER Department Curator Associate and Assistant Curators Public Instruction . Prof. A. S. BICKMORE Geology Prof. R . P. WHITFIELD EDMUND 0. HovEY, Ph.D. (Associate) Mineralogy and Concho logy L. P. GRATACAP, A. L Marnrnalogy and Ornithology . Prof. J. A. ALLEN FRANK M. CHAPMAN (Associate) Vertebrate W. D. MATTHEW, Ph.D. Palreontology . Prof. H. F. OSBORN { 0. P. HAY, Ph.D. Prof. FRANZ BoAs, Curator in charge of Ethnology r MARSHALL H. SAVILLE, Curator in Anthropology Prof. F. W . PUTNAM ~ charge of Jo.If exican and Central Arner- ican A rchceology HARLAN I. SMITH, Assistant Curator l of Archreology Entomology . W. BEUTENMULLER Invertebrate Zoology Prof. H. C. BuMPUS Library A. WOODWARD, Ph.D., Librarian THE HALL OF FOSSIL VERTEBRATES l llt I L\LL l }, . IL \"l:J>'J L11J> .\'11~ B \' \\'. l> . ~ l -r·r H h w . J> 11 . D . , i~ l trh · f t 1 gr t 1d w \ m · i· : f a 11 c i :1 l ·it i , h \. ·11 i 1 rY , 1 n · m n ntur· um1 r a· ·umul tti< n. ·o · · · mud r t n "ll1 1. I· r rn t 11 h arh·. hi ·t01T. f rnanki 1 l f ·itt ·n 1i ,J Fr ·11 th ·tu h· f th · · · \r -- ln · ari ·e11, a 1cl it 1 'al with the · . · h 1 l. with th' ,- luti n f ci,·ilizaLi n. f which th ar ·hx 1 ~i t fin 1: tr~ · · . alth ugh a f '\Y ha,·· l m · ·.·tin -t. u 1t · ,Yhi h ar n w ·1 oli lat , l i 1t t .. indi a ti n: f man ar 1 t f 11. 1, r 1cl th · · \Yhid1 the . · ' nt'tin ar u 11ik an . · n ''" li,·inu · ~l - th · an i n t. 1 1 'I h ,, f th h~ r 1 1 , 111- . oft p~ r · 1 r - • 1 . _, . h · 1 . 1. ~ \ 11111 l tri 1 J in 1 ·m an l t · . in h· . 3 THE HALL OF FOSSIL VERTEBRATES -loy{a, science). It tells us of a long period of time before Man appeared, probably millions of years, during which Mammals of great size and unfamiliar form were the dominant animals-of a yet longer era before that, during which huge Reptiles were rulers of earth, sea and air-and of other more ancient periods during which Amphibians, Fish and Invertebrate animals held sway in turn. Vertebrate Palreontology deals only with the higher classes of fossil animals, the Vertebrata, or those that have backbones (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). For fossils of this kind the Bad-Lands of the Western States are the richest field, and from there came nearly all the specimens in this hall, the greater part of which have been found within the last ten years. The hall was opened in 1895. 1 At the time of writing, thirty complete skeletons of extinct animals have been placed on exhibition, besides many t·mes that number of skulls, limbs and other imperfect spec mens. To give the visitor a clear idea of these extinct animals, the skeletons usually have been removed entirely from the rock in which they were found and have been mounted as much as pos sible like skeletons of modem animals; their probable appearance and habits are described by the labels and illustrated by water color restorations. The especial interest of the hall lies in the fact that it shows so many of the data upon which are based the theories of Evolution. The arrangement of the specimens is intended to show the history or evolution of different races of animals, chiefly in North America. All the specimens of one race or kind of animal have been placed together, the most ancient first, the most recent last. All the skeletons in this hall are those of ex tinct animals. 2 The Mastodon and Great Trish Deer are half-petri fied bone dug out of peat bogs. All the others are petrified (i. e., they have been buried so long that they have been converted from bone into stone), and have been chiseled out of the solid rock. The NI egatherium is a plaster cast, taken from bones from 1 A brief history of the Department will be found in the number of this JouRNAL for November-December, 1901. I! Four small skeletons. those of the Raccoon, Cat, Opossum and young Lamb, have been placed in the cases near their extinct relatives, for comparison. 4 THE HALL OF FO IL VERT BRAT tl h .\ 1 n . Ill\\' in tl mus um or th' 1 o\·al oll •tr f n ~ . L n l n . >m , f t h ·k I t >I1 a r · part I y r ·t >r ·d in I l t, r. i 1 li ~l 11 ~ : ·.· (r ·t r tl l) )11 .,) c)r r tl lin L. ut- li 1l' · f l 1 m · · 1J pli · l fr m h ·r 1 ~tr m" rkc l with th " ta] au numb r f th ·pe ·1- m n rare indi ate l ya r u ir I if un ''tt'tl gu 1. E L I .\L .\ ,E ... \. "D PERI D ..\er , f :\Ian, uaternary --0.000 y ar: ,:\er f :\Iammal·, Tertian· ,ooo ,ooo y ar reta ou er of R ptile , Me zoi Jura 1c ·7 ,000 ,000 r ar Tria .\ of ... mphibian and oal Plant ·. : ,000,000 _ • ·ar: .\g- · of fish ~. I alreozoic D ,. nian 2 .000.000 y ar~· 'tlurian • <rt: f Inv rt brat , 10,000.000 year a nbria 1 E z (.. f .\r h. n Th ac m n r- 5 THE AGE OF REPTILES ( MESOZOIC ) GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS and CHARACTERISTIC AN 1MALS . 6 ~EMAf~J;J~Pz~1.i~1J'R:~::f£~~~l~: : ~~J=~::~s~ tiATt~~:N£.,PT~LJgL::~~t!~· VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD BY MARINE, t ITS CLO SE T O THEIR PRESENT I M POllTA'NCE. ESTUA,.RY AND FRESH - WATER DEPOS ITS T HE MAMMALS APP E ARED W ELL DOWN IN DIVIDED INTO THREE GREAT PERIODS, THIS AGE BU T REMAINEO S MALL ANO TRIA S SIC, JURASSIC AND CR ETACEOUS. SCARCE U N T I L ITS ENO F OHl\lAT[()N~ m~ (11 .\11 \tTl:Jll',Tf( \ \1~1 .\J.', Tb RR E JON MAM MALS !.!! LARGE ~ , TRUE LIZARDS •nd SPHEMODONS 800 ALLIGATORS ·and CROCODILl!S RU ER CO TURTLES MUM£ROUS BOHV nSHES 1U.£0$TS CAR NIVOROUS DINOSAURS HERBIVOROUS DINOSAURS l000 HORNED HERBIVOROUS DINOSAURS 5000 ~~;~RO:c~;;,~~U-;;-,1ALS .. , f"IRST son SHELLED TURTLES MODERN TAIL ED A"'P"181AHS ,SAL AltAaoutsl !~ BIRDS PROBABLY TOOTHED ll) PTCRDOACTVLS TOOTHLESS ,.., 1200 MOSASAURS aPd PlESIOSAURS MONTANA 8700 GIGANTIC MARIME TURTLES 1" DOLICHOSAUlllAN LIZARDS ~; CAT·ASH STURCtOMs,.. u~ PIKES I~ ~llARKS TOOTHED BIPOS TOOTHLESS PT£800,CTYlS ~ DINOSAURS " COLORADO 1000 M OSASAURS iind PLESI0SAURS 3000 LARGE MARINE. TURTLES ~ CRETACEOUS BONY FISHES 'TEUOSTS SHARKS OANDIO FISHES 400, FIRST SNAKES ll DAKOTA 5000 TURTLES ~ l TRUE LIZAROSa"d ODUCHOSAURS ~ HERBIVOROUS OINOSAURS/"'""o°"" Q: CARNIVOROUS OINOSAURS ,11cooos,.u'"', PTE.RCiOACTYLS TOOTH(Di.'41'DOTKLESS ~ 300 :::: COMANCHE ZSOO MOSASAURS lCHTHVOSAURSaiw Pl..ESIOSAURS "'"- WEALD EN CROCODILES . TURTLES. ~ POTOMAC SHARKS and GANOIO FISHES CHIMJEROID FISHES I ~: PfflMmYt ~~ IMSECTIW!IMS ~ ~ MULTITU8UU:IJUUS) ::.~ CARNIVOROUS DINOSAURS ICfRATllSAURUS) HERBIVOROUS OI NOSAUl<S ~TLAHTOSAIJRUS) Cl t !U_R~~ES, PTEROOA~TYLS 1500 FIRST BIROS l'IITH TEETH s .. uRUR..C 4000 ~~~!::!UR~!~~:~~:~~ottH~{ ~ ~ MAMM.-.i,-s LON6 NOSfO CROCODILES tTHEOSAURS) ltllTHYOS AU RS and PLESIOSAURS FIRST HER BIVOR OUS DINOSAURS TURTLES. PTEROOACTVI.S SMA/IJ<S aoo CHOND,.DST[ ... N FISNES REPTILE•~ ! DROMATHERI.UM. TRl1VLOOON, MICAOUSTES1 flRS T CARNIVOROUS DIN OSAURS LAST LABYRINTHO OONTS PRIMITIVE CROCOOILES(8£lOO ON ) f lRST TURTLES and PTERODACTYLS 3000 :~~~~/cE"~~~1!~:,.~:,!>!vL;~:~~!u 6000 PLts1osAuRs (NoTiioEiAuRs · FIRST ICHTHYOSAURS(M IXOS/lURUS1 PL;l< COOONTS LARGE AMPHI BIAN S (LABY· RI NTH OD ONTS flRST PlESIOSAUR6 NOTlfDSAURS FIRST REPTILES COTYLO£AURS. soo' PROGANO SAU RSin, PELVCOSAURS, l000 PRIMITIVEAN PMI BIAIIS SlE60CEPII All.#\ SHAR KS LU N G FISHES CHOllDl>OS!C,.1<-QIOSSO..-ml"!; !AW<!S•£S PRIMITIVE AMPHIBIA.NS STEGO · CEPHAUA. ~!ml• ,,. • .._ Sl'U;ES PR MIT1V£ SIIAl!KS ll, G FISHES C•OO!l:STU• ~ F1$r(S THE HALL OF FOSSIL VERTEBRATES much more nearly known. The estimates given on page 5 are based on the very careful study of the subject made by C. D. Walc~tt, the present Director of the U. S. Geological Survey. In concluding his discussion Dr. Walcott stated his belief that the duration of geological time (the entire period included in this table) might be measured by tens of millions of years, but not by single millions or by hundreds of millions.'' The most ancient of the extinct animals shown here are the creatures of the Age of Reptiles, such as the Dinosaurs, or great land reptiles, Mosasaurs, or great marine lizards, Ichthyosaurs, or fish-lizards, and other smaller animals. These are millions of years old. Some of the Dinosaurs are the largest known land RESTORATION OF TITANOTHERIUM, AN EXTINCT HOOFED MAMMAL OF WESTERN AMERICA The picture shows a bull, a cow and a calf From t h e original watercolor, based on m ounted skeleton and skulls in American Museum.