Dinosaurs, with Special Reference to the American Museum Collections — John Shaqi
Dinosaurs, with Special Reference to the American Museum CollectionsMatthew, William Diller
Science
Dinosaurs, with Special Reference to the American Museum Collections
Matthew, William Diller
Dinosaurs
[Illustration: Fig. 13.--View in the Hell Creek badlands in
central Montana, where the Tyrannosaurus skeleton was found.]
As to its probable habits, it is safe to infer (see p. 33), that it
was predaceous, active and powerful, and adapted to terrestrial life.
Its methods of attack and combat must have been more like those of
modern reptiles than the more intelligent methods of the mammalian
carnivore. The brain cast of Allosaurus indicates a brain of similar
type and somewhat inferior grade to that of the modern crocodile or
lizard, and far below the bird or mammal in intelligence. The keen
sense of smell of the mammal, the keen vision of the bird, the highly
developed reasoning power of both, were absent in the dinosaur as in
the lizard or crocodile. We may imagine the Allosaurus lying in wait,
watching his prey until its near approach stimulates him into a
semi-instinctive activity; then a sudden swift rush, a fierce snap of
the huge jaws and a savage attack with teeth and claws until the
victim is torn in pieces or swallowed whole. But the stealthy,
persistent tracking of the cat or weasel tribe, the intelligent
generalship of the wolf pack, the well planned attack at the most
vulnerable point in the prey, characteristic of all the predaceous
mammals, would be quite impossible to the dinosaur. By watching the
habits of modern reptiles we may gain a much better idea of his
capacities and limitations than if we judge only from the efficiency
of his teeth and claws, and forget the inferior intelligence that
animated these terrible weapons.
TYRANNOSAURUS.
The "Tyrant Saurian" as Professor Osborn has named him, was the climax
of evolution of the giant flesh-eating dinosaurs. It reached a length
of forty-seven feet, and in bulk must have equalled the mammoth or the
mastodon or the largest living elephants. The massive hind limbs,
supporting the whole weight of the body, exceeded the limbs of the
great proboscideans in bulk, and in a standing position the animal was
eighteen to twenty feet high, as against twelve for the largest
African elephants or the southern mammoth. The head (see frontispiece)
is 4 feet 3 inches long, 3 ft. 4 inches deep, and 2 ft. 9 inches wide;
the long deep powerful jaws set with teeth from 3 to 6 inches long and
an inch wide. To this powerful armament was added the great sharp
claws of the hind feet, and probably the fore feet, curved like those
of eagles, but six or eight inches in length.
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