The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-02-02

/ yet even in the first third Of that epoch
wherein the ichthyosaurus is disappear
ing or has already disappeared. il is i'm
possible to find that man could have ex-
listed in q form that would have been
saurians. We. today. with united pow
ers, and with the instruments Of industry
have not been able TO exterminate the
whale-centuries after the invention OF
the ship
SO We must ask: Did the ichthyosaurus
/ become the victim of a battle for exist
ence with another monstrous animal OF
| the ocean in the time when he had be-
| thousands of years of unchaIlenged mas
/ terry of the sea?
! There are some curious facts in which
/ the answer may be hidden.
! In the end Of the seventies Marsh
/ found, in Jurassic formations Of North
America, n genuine ichthyosaurus which,
strange to say. was entirely toothless.
The gums had neither teeth nor grooves
in which teeth could have been implant-
Cd. The resolution of the lec-bones into
| fins had proceeded to SO extreme stage
in this specimen that it WAS evident that
a late, highly developed species had been
found. Since then traces Of related forms
have been found in England in the latest
Jurassic formations and in the chalk
period. The American species was chris
tened BaDtanodon. What had happened
TO this iChthyosaurus?
Itchthyosaurus. the terrible armed rob-
Der. who had chewed armored> fishes. and
stony cuttle-fishes with ease. evidently
had given up" his whole dental appara-
tus in some places late in his time. That
means that he had adapted himself &c
circumstances in such a manner that re
had become as good as helpless against
any new. biting creature Of the sea.
Involuntary one is reminded again of
the whale and his relatives.
The dolphin still has powerful teeth.
But the enormous Greenland whale. the
extreme form of al whale-beasts, only
has "frinees" that give us whalebone.
Those frinses evidently are very conyen-
lent for him. With them he sieves the
ocean for myriads Of little creatures
which nourish him. What does he, the CO.
lossus of the sea. need of teeth,
Plainly this whale proves by example
that adaptation can Head to an elimination
Of the teeth. The birds lost them. too;
in the chalk period their bills still were
toothed; then came the toothless beak;
the free life in the air without competi-
ton made teeth unnecessary.
Ii is apparent that the ichthyosaurian
achieved ease in this manner in the end
of the Jurassic period. whom there were
no enemies that demanded battle.
DEATH SENTENCE.
And yet with such remuneration of their
fighting powers The ichthyosourians pro-
J. unced their own death sentence like
the poor bird dOdo For the foes did ar
rive; with continuing development times
aH,reG. and what had not been, developed
itself So there arose the Old question OF
life or Geath-death being the answer. of
course. for the side that had become
denudod of defense through its long
Of caseim power.
Incomplete as our knowledge is. one
thing we know-at about the coming of
Tertiary time something decisive hap
J eled I'm he ocean. 1t was no mad catas- .
U9ulc Chat choked Urcounted masses Of /
animal forms i'm steam or carb0nic acid /
ro~. Tt w2s something that happened
with The natural development Of things /
New hunters appeared in the ocean /
hunters shat had not been there in such /
form or misht before.
There WAS rrst the family of sharks .
II grow unexpectedly ut that time - .
our Imagination tho shark SIN - the .
most horrible creature or tho sea. ard .
mere savaee than amy now living surely .
meant for that ancient sea ;he sravest .
danger that could be imagined for other .
living creatures. And in the beginning :
Of Tertiary time sharks were dcveIaued .
that exceeded UNNECESSARILY anything
known ROW.
As a matter o. fact. the grim shark folk
We're very. very old. Lon- before the /
times of the ichthyosauciaus they tum-
alsG around In the ocean. Perhaps The
lishe- vertehratts once 5merred from
their ranks when cevtain sharklike AM
mails achieved luocs and $50 save Che arst
opportunity fer the Development IT the
1mprihian. from THAT II the reptile. tie
bird the mammal How that was ir
detail IS s,iu hidden from U.s. AZ any
rate. the sharks did nor an develop into
higher animals. hu- a great family *
them retained its characteristics ana
swami mo-~ily THROUGH aN earthly erocrs
0to III. Tertiary one. and then. when The
.nd ~ th1t epoch came. il was IS IL
hot v,tality she, through iha
oush old race
ANCIENT SHARK MONSTERS.
leeayiag again. there SIN remains a CO.