Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-03-02

1
NAL has been found which is by ar the
largest animal SUPP osed to be capable of
moving on dry land. 1t fed on the forests
OF the time, fact proved by the remains
found with 1t. 1t was called the Titanasau-
rus, huge animal, seventy feet in length
and eighty in height. That age abounaed
in flying reptiles and turtles, beside the
monster saurians already mentioned. Some
of the land turtles were nine feet in length
and proportlonately high. One specimen
now extinct would easily hide or cover two
men, being about four feet high. At that
period great revolution was eliminating,
and perceptible change is noticed that
gives indications of new era The body
was elevated instead of being dragged
along; the limbs were heightened, and in
animal life at that period the iguanodon
takes prominent position. The thigh
when full-grown was more than four and
half feet in length, and the circumfer-
ence around the head was four and halt
feet. The teeth were o5tusely conical and
laterally compressed, SO as TO present cut
ting edge, which was serrated like the teeth
of the Mexican iguana, from which it was
named, As restored by Mr.. Hawkins, it
has a slight resemblance to an Immense IT,
ger. MIR. Hawkins says, to give an idea of
the size OF that animal, that the iguanodon
as il now stands in the Crystal Palace is
composed of four iron columns nine feet in
length by seven inches in diameter, six
hundred bricks, fifteen hundred and fifty
tiles, thirty-eight casks of cement, ninety
casks of broken stone, with one hundred
aof nf honnipn ND oS
cubic inch bar. The specimen was mod
eled after the great Horsham specimen, and
to show more clearly the size, the mold
was afterward converted into ''salle a
manger," in which Professor Forbes, Owen
and twenty other gentlemen sat down to
dinner.
The great cretaceous ocean of the West,
that is now only known to us by its arid
deserts and chalky plains was no less re-
markable for its fishes than its reptiles, and
swarmed with large forms related to the
salmon and saury. Vertebra and other
fragments of those species project from the
worn limestone in many places, and one of
them attracts attention by its formidable
appearance. The density and hardness of
the bones had shed the rain off on either
SANSs cC ehos eA&S AodlotiuS kuibCiS duQ Eb-
vines finally isolated the stony monster.
The head was some inches longer than that
of full-grown grizzly bear, and the jaws
were deeper in proportion TO their length.
The muzzle was shorter and deeper than
that of bulldog. The teeth were all sharp
cylindric fangs, smooth and glIstening, and
of ire yular size. IAt certain points in each
jaw they projected three inches above the
gum, and were sunk one inch into deep
pits, being thus as long as the fangs of u
tiger, but more slender. Two pairs of such
fangs crossed each other on each side of the
end Of the snout. That fish is known as
Portheus MolossYs. Beside the smaller
fishes the reptiles no doubt supplied the
demands of their appetite. The ocean in
which hourished this abundant and vigo-
rous life was at last completely inclosed on
the west by elevations of sea bottom, SO
that it only communicated with the Atian
tic and Pacific at the Gulf of Mexico and
Arctic af1e coatinued elevation OF
both eastern and western shores contract
ed its area, and when ridges of the sea bot
tom reached the surface, forming long, lJw
bars, parts of the water area were inclosed,
and connection with salt water prevented.
Thus were the living beings imprisoned and
subjected TO many new risks. The stronger
could more readily capture the weaker,
while the fishes would gradually perish
through the constant freshening OF the
water. With the death of any considera-
BILE class the balance OF food supply would
be lost, and many larger species would dis
appear from the scene. line most endCr-
ing would longest resist the approach of
starvation, but would finally yield to mex
orable fate; the last one being caught by
the shifting bottom among the shallow
pools, from which his exhausted energies
could not extricate him.