The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-03-04
SEVEN TON REPTILE
IS WELL PRESERVED
Giant Dinosaurs Skeleton Re.
Gently Unearthed Thought to
Be 100000 Years Old.

Between 10000 900 and 1 1000, 900 years
ago. in what is known as the Jurassic
age, there lived a group of giant rep
tiles called Dinosaurs, one family of
which, the Stegosauridae. or plated liz
ards, Is perhaps the most fantastic and
curious in all natural history. The
most perfect and complete fossilized
skeleton of the genus Stegosaurus, q
smaller branch of this remarkable
FAMILY group, is on exhibition in the
new building of the United States Ma
tiohai museum, at Washington, just os
~ was found and dug out of the sand
stone rock. Near at hand is a patural
size and very life-like restoration in
paplsr-mache, so weird and monstrous
rors.
Back in the very early days of the
word this armor-plated lizard like
monster dwelt in the western part of
the United States in what is now the
eastern slope Of the Rocky mountains,
although at hat time the mountains
ala not exist. He roamed about in the
marsh and swamp lands of that region,
leedinS on the tropical grasses and
plants, the fossil remains of which are
round buried with his skeleton. The
specimen mentioned above comes from
quarry NO. l, in Fremont county, near
canyon City. Colo, where it was found
by NJ. Z. Fetch in 1885. Brief articles
concerning 1T were written from time
" Ii1ne, put 1t was not assembled and
mounted until two years ago, and never
completely described until recently.
win the exception of the removal of
some OF the sandstone which surrounds
this valuable specimen. 1t has been left
IN the position in which 1t was discov-
T SO that the relation of the various
bones and skin armor may be seen and
stuoled by scientists. In order that the
loWer side OF the skeleton and the back
plates may be seen, two mirrors have
oeeh placed beneath it in such a man.
her as TO reflect the exact structure
and location of the various bones.
Inc undisturbed position of the
bones, n the surrounding sandstone
lndlcates that this monster died in the
water, or on the bank of a stream, and
from some natural cause. 1t is possible
that the carcass floated down the
stream as the arrangement of the diff
ferent bones and spine plates indicates
a gradual washing and tipping over,
rather than the crushing motion of q
heavy force. The skeleton is quite
complete and lies partly on les side and
back, with nearly all the bones in their
relative positions, rendering it Of in
Unite value to scientists for study and
as a reference type.
In life this peculiar reptile of such
gigantic proportions must have pre-
scented a forbfdding appearance; it
measures about 10 feet in length, was
evidently over IL feet in height at the
tough and horny scale-like skin, stud
ded here and there with bony
buttons or knobs OF armor. Along it's
PACK We're arranged great sharp edged
plates set alternately and projecting
upward Tx the teeth of a huge saw.
mi MI n 10 o.
the small wedge shaped reptiliac head
all the way back, and well down the
tapering lizard-like tail, which was
tipped with four long, sharp spines. Its
legs We're not unlike those of a lizard
or other reptile, except hat the fore
legs were rather short and much
weaker than the hind ones, an tndica-
ton that the great animal could sit up
like a kangaroo, and perhaps descended
from a bipedal ancestor. From a study
OF It's teeth 1t has been determined that
this prehistoric beast was a plant
eater. as Is suggested by its habitat.
Further investigation of it's head, which
is so small as to be quite out Of pro-
portion to its massive body, reveals
the fact that it had scarcely any brain.
Although the body of the s~tegosaurus
Is supposed to have weighed more than
that OF an elephant, the brain of the
latter is so times as heavy, which fact
offers an excuse for the immense
amount of defensive armor with which
1t was equipped, making it practicai,
~ ~impregnable as far as its enemies
We're concerned. provided 1t had any,
Its bones alone weigh nearly a ton, and
1t has been estimated that in life the
stegosaur weighed between seven and
10 tons.
A very complete scientific treatise on
this interesting group of extinct giant
reptiles by Mr.. Charles w. Gilmore, as
sistant curator of fossil reptiles, has
Just been published by the United
States national museum In the form
of a bulletin, the edition of which has
been distributed to Libraries and ia
scientific and educational institutions