The Deseado Formation of PatagoniaLoomis, Frederic Brewster
Science
The Deseado Formation of Patagonia
Loomis, Frederic Brewster
Paleontology -- Patagonia (Argentina and Chile)
P. giganteum Amegh., 1897, Bol. Inst. Geog. Argen., t. 18, p. 447.
P. crassidens Amegh., 1902, Anal. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, ser. 3, t. 1,
p. 34.
P. planum Amegh., 1897, Bol. Inst. Geog. Argen., t. 18, p. 446.
Parapyrotherium planum Amegh., 1902, Anal. Mus. Nac. B. A., ser. 3, t.
1, p. 29.
P. trilophodon Amegh., 1902, Anal. Mus. Nac. B. A., ser. 3, t. 1, p. 33.
P. pluteum Amegh., 1901, Bol. Acad. Nac. Cienc. Cordoba, t. 16, p. 386.
P. pluteum Amegh., 1902, Anal. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, ser. 3, t. 1, p.
29.
[Illustration: Fig. 111. Top of the skull—⅕ natural size; Mate to in 1
on the left side is represented by an alveolus but the tooth had fallen
out before the death of the animal; _a.c._, ear chamber; _B_, brain
case; _V_, vacuities in the bone.]
[Illustration: Fig. 112. Side view of the skull—⅕ natural size, _i.1_,
incisor 1 in outline restored from the right side; _i.2_, incisor
2; _J._, jugale; _M.1_, first molar; _Mx._, maxilla; _pm.2_, second
premolar; _pmx._, premaxilla; _Pt._, pterygoid; the dotted line
indicates position of nasal and frontal which are crushed down in
specimen.]
The species varies in size and in the proportionate development of the
tushes as would be expected in a large and slow-growing animal. Most
all of the material found by any of the collectors falls clearly into
this species. Our specimens all came from the Chico del Chubut, west
of Puerto Visser, which point is about 250 miles north of the locality
where Gaudry’s material was found.
The general features of the skull have been given under the generic
description. The difference between this and the preceding species lies
in the absence of pm. 1, and the somewhat larger size. Both of our
major specimens are mutilated in places; and as the better skull was
found with only the zygomatic arch exposed, we conclude that the parts
missing were lost before burial. On the lower jaw the edges of some of
the teeth were cracked off, and both the ascending rami are lacking,
both things having happened before burial, this specimen being found
well in the bank and never exposed to weathering. It appears as if
the carcasses of the animals lay some time before being buried by the
sediments. The scattered condition of all the finds indicates the same
thing. The head of our femur is still marked by the teeth which cleaned
the meat from the bone. The frequency of isolated tushes indicates that
many jaws originally containing them have been either chewed to pieces
or weathered away before burial. I do not think all the tushes found
originally belonged to the lower jaw (Gaudry reports 18 tushes, all
lower); for the upper and lower tushes when isolated are so much alike
that it is difficult to distinguish them.
The size of the skull is indicated by the following measurements:
SPECIMEN NO. 3207
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account