The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-08-14


skull, and arm bones, with several
teeth was found and presented to the
University of Denver. The creature
in life must have been seventy feet
long. Prof Lee of the University thus
writes of us: 1.-THE specimen is gift
to the university from John Keegan
of Flagler. The manner in which 1t
was found is interesting. One day
Mexican herdsman rode into Flagler
and reported that his horse stumbled
and fell over a long string Of bones.
The man picked up one of the bones
and was surprised to find it as heavy
as stone. He carried piece to the
town, and Mr.. Keegan saw that the
bones might be of scientific interest.
He drove to the place and found about
| twelve feet of the vertebral column
lying on the ground, as it had lain
| through countless thousands of years.
There it had been left when the rock
decayed from around it, About four
feet of the tail was still embedded in
the solid rock. This was carefully dug
out, and the whole skeleton preserved
by Mr.. Keegan, who sent it to the uni
| versity. Mr.. Keegan reports that
while the specimen was in his possess
sion it was examined by several geo.
logists. From them we learn that the
bones are from the uppermOst creta-
ceOus formation Of that region. The
place of preservation was too near the
division between cretaceous and terti-
airy rock that they could not determine
the age. Further study, however,
shows that the reptile is a cretaceOus
form. During the cretaceous time, not
only the greater part of Colorado, but
the greater part of the western half of
the continent, was a shallow sea, dot
ted here and there with islands.
Those clumsy, overgrown monsters
which we are familiar with as in hab-
itants of the Denver region, had reach
ed their elimination, and were ready
to pass out of existence forever as
soon as the new conditions were inau-
gurated at the end of the age. Among
these reptiles forms we find the an
cestors of the modern serpents. Dur
ing the cretaceous period the seas were
inhabited by long, snake-like reptiles
called by Cope Pythonamorpha OF
Mesasauria. He gives three genera
clidastes, platecarpus and mesasuras
! It is in one of these genera or sea ser
: penis that our monster must be placed
, 1t is difficult to locate it definitely be
cause so many of the characteristic
I n
! the bones to the Department of tn
! National Geological Survey at Wash
ington, u. c., and received word tina
the specimen is probably clidastes, al
o though the jaw is more massive an
Z the teeth more compressed than in tn
Y only specimens we have. think tina
you probably have one of the mos
complete vertebral columns of thi
group of marine reptiles in existenc,
: The tail is particularly fine, and give
a me a much better impression of tn
= depth and compression of this part {
! the body After careful examinatiO
: of the published descriptions I wa
d led to the opinion that the species hs
. not been described heretofore.
&c "If one can imagine long, slendt
q reptile, sometimes seventy feet
Il length, not quite so lender as the mot
l. ern serpent, and having two pairs
It short, paddle-like feet, one will ha1
e. a fairly good idea Of this class Of re
Y tiles. They were great sea serpen
/. and were covered with bony scales,
= Prof. Marsh has shown. I have r
f. ferred to them as the ancestors
d snakes; the form of the body was We
.e snake-like and the long jaw shows
}. mechanism similar to that of serpen
= which makes it possible to swallow t
e food whole. Their habits seem
le have been serpent-hke, and they liv
ID during the age Immediately precedi
1t the introduction of true snakes. 1t
ID an easy step from an animal like eli
t astes to the modern serpent.