The Story of the Earth and ManDawson, John William, Sir
Science
The Story of the Earth and Man
Dawson, John William, Sir
Human beings -- Origin; Paleontology
In Asia, the Siwalik hills afforded to Falconer and Cautley one of the
most remarkable exhibitions of Miocene animals in the world. These
hills form a ridge subordinate to the Himalayan chain; and rise to a
height of 2,000 to 3,000 feet. In the Miocene period, they were sandy
and pebbly shores and banks lying at the foot of the then infant
Himalayas, which, with the table-lands to the north, probably formed a
somewhat narrow east and west continental mass or large island. As a
mere example of the marvellous fauna which inhabited this Miocene
land, it has afforded remains of seven species of elephants,
mastodons, and allied animals; one of them, the _E. Ganesa_, with
tusks ten feet and a half long, and twenty-six inches in circumference
at the base. Besides these there are five species of rhinoceros, three
of horse and allied animals, four or more of hippopotamus, and species
of camel, giraffe, antelope, sheep, ox, and many other genera, as well
as numerous large and formidable beasts of prey. There is also an
ostrich; and, among other reptiles, a tortoise having a shell twelve
feet in length, and this huge roof must have covered an animal
eighteen feet long and seven feet high. Among the more remarkable of
the Siwalik animals is the _Sivatherium_, a gigantic four-horned
antelope or deer, supposed to have been of elephantine size, and of
great power and swiftness; and to have presented features connecting
the ruminants and pachyderms. Our restoration of this creature is to
some extent conjectural; and a remarkably artistic, and probably more
accurate, restoration of the animal has recently been published by
Dr. Murie, in the Geological Magazine. We justly regard the Mammalian
fauna of modern India as one of the noblest in the world; but it is
paltry in comparison with that of the much more limited Miocene India;
even if we suppose, contrary to all probability, that we know most of
the animals of the latter. But if we consider the likelihood that we
do not yet know a tenth of the Miocene animals, the contrast becomes
vastly greater.
Miocene America is scarcely behind the Old World in the development of
its land animals. From one locality in Nebraska, Leidy described in
1852 fifteen species of large quadrupeds; and the number has since
been considerably increased. Among these are species of Rhinoceros,
Palæotherium, and Machairodus; and one animal, the Titanotherium,
allied to the European Anoplothere, is said to have attained a length
of eighteen feet and a height of nine, its jaws alone being five feet
long.
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