Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1897-08-07

skull ana arm bones, with several
teeth was found and presented y ths
University or Denver. The creature
in life must have been seventy leet
long. Prof. Lee 81 the University thus
writes Of us: .The specimen is a gltt
TO the university from John keegaa
OF Flagler. The manner IN which y
was found is interesting One day q
/ Mexican herdsman rode into Flaglef
and reported that his horse stumbled
/ and fell over long string % bones
/ The man picked up one Of the bones
and was surprised % ind u a. heavy
ali stone. He carried piece 20 the
town, and Mr. keesan saw that the
bones might be OF scientific Interest
/ He drove to tn place and found about
/ twelve feet ot the yertebgal column
lying on the ground. as II had iain
through countless thousands o. years.
There ii had been left when the rock
decayed from around H. About four
feet 81 the tall was still embedded In
the solid rock. This Was carefully dug
out. and the whole skeleton preserved
BY Mr.. Keegan. who sent II TO the uni'
yerslty. Mr.. KeeEan reports thai
while the specimen was In his posses.
sion Il was examined by several gro,
logists. From them We learn thar tbs
bones are from the uppermoat ereta
ceous formation % that region. Thu
place 81 preservation was Too near thi
division between cretaceoGs aud tsFti
AIRY reck that they could not deteFmiu'
the age. Further study. howcver
shows that the reptile Ii a ersiaeSoa
form. During the ere,aceous time. no
only the greater part Of Colorado. bsi
the greater part 81 the western half o
the continent. was 4 shallow sea. dot
ted here and thsre With islands
Those clumsy. oyergrowa monster
which We are familiar with ~ IN hah
!tants Of the Denver region. had reach
cd their elimination. and were read
to pass out ot existence forever j
soon IA the new conditions wers inag
gurated at the end % the age. ANON
these reptiles forms wa ind she al
eestors % the modern ssrpenta Dut
Ing the eretaceons period the Seas wei
Inhabited BY long. anake-iiks reptile
called b. Cope Pythonamarpha ,
Mesasaugia He gives three genera
cltdastes, platacarpus ard mssaaura
II Is In one % these genera nr sea sc
pents thai our monster must be place
IL u difficult To locate II definitely. |,
cause 20 many 81 the characterize
parts are destroyed sent some
the bones % the Department 81 Il
National Geological Survey al was
Ington. D. G.. and received word III
the specimen il probably ctldaatea.
though the Jaw Ii more massive a
the teeth more compressed than IN /
only specimens We have. think tn
yon probably have one Of the ms
complete ysrtebrai columns ~ II
group Of marine reptiles IN existsu
The tall II particularly fine. aud nj,
me much better impression 81 |
depth and compression Of This part
the body. After careful rxaminati
81 the published descriptions / v
led to the opinion that the aps clts
not been described heretofore.
III one can imagine long, slen,
reptile, sometimes seventy feet
length, not quite 90 lender IA The nj
ern serpent. and having two pairs
short. paddie-like feet, ono viii III
] a fairly good idea Of this class ~ r
tiles. They we're great sea serpa
- and were covered with bony scales,
i. Prof. Marsh has shown. have
NJ. ferred to them az the ancestors
.,y snakes; the form Of the body was '
III snake-like and the long jaw show
M mechanism similar to that of sarpe
~ which makes Il possible to swallow
food whole. Their habits seem
~, have been serpent-like. and they ii
M during the ago Immediately proceed
II the introduction Of true snakes. /
i, an easy step from an animal like Z
a.