Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-05-19
Once He Roamed IN Montana
The Tpannosaurus Was a Queer MIXTURE of Reptile and Bird
q, GAnnnrr ?. sEnNIss.

Whoever has any interest ~ the
wonders OF this world, past and pres
ent, will do we'll to go and see the
mounted skeleton Of a tyrannosaur.
7 which has been set up IN the Amer
lean Museum OF Natural History, on
the west side Of Central park, New
York.
The skeleton is forty-seven feet
long and stands. in the uptiltcd at
titude OF mighty siege gun, nine
teen feet high from the floor, When
he had his flesh this monster could
hardly have weighed less than twenty
tons.
There are skeletons OF other equal
Wy bulky. or even bulker, monsters
, OF prehistoric ages in the museum,
but this one has kind Of interest
not attaching 70 them, The huge
| brontosaur for instance, who endless
stretch OF ycrtebral bones, forming
his preposterous tail, resembles the
keel Of ship, was tame, sluggish,
mud-loving creature, which lived on
water weeds, shrubs and leaves; but
the tyrannosaur was flesh-eater,
tiger IN appetite, and so powerful that
he could have crushed the big Ben
gal man-eater as the latter would
crush kitten
In one word the tyrannosaur was
the mighticst carniyore (deyourer Of
ilesh1 that, as far as we know, ever
inhabited the earth. You will read
lily believe Il when you look at the
giant skeleton The tremendous head
F4tfh - and taFW.tia
the strength 81 the massive limbs
tell the story Why, being carni.
yorous animal and consequently a
hunter Of prey the tyrannosaur
should have been furnished with so
long and heavy tail is a point not
easy 10 settle
Perhaps the tail could be used as
tlall, sweeping wide swaths III 4
huddled group Of small prey, or cut
ting down bigger animals like a
scythel The preponderating weight
and strength OF the two legs on which
the animal reared itself up rather sug.
gest that They furnished at the same
time q firm anchorage and a pivot
But whatever use the tyrannosaur
may have been able 10 make OF his
tail in the possession Of il he CON
formed 10 the anatomical fashion Of
his time, which was tic barrel-shaped
or torpedo-shaped Age Of the Dino
| saufs Whether they were vegetable
feeders or flesh eaters, these brob-
dinRnagian creatures almost nyar-
lably had bodies running away behind
into long, flexible tails
The vegetable feeders had exces-
siyely long necks also, and small
heads, but the carnivora had short
thick nccks, capable Of bearing the
huge crushing masticating engine
which constituted the hear The Jaws
and their artieulations were immense,
bur there was very little provision
made for housiRn a brain
The tyrannosaur was stupid
beast, but he liver with beasts many
Of which were yet stupider than him
self, so that he was at no disadvan-
tage in that respect. II he had had a
bran proportioned to his physical
stature and muscular strength he
woul have been the lord and master
OF the earth. and it might never have
escaped from his dominion But, for
tunately, he was like human tyrants,
not remarkable for intelligence, and
probably there were some among the
victims Of his rule who generally out
witted him il they could not Outright
him
One OF the strangest facts discov-
cred about these wonderful beasts
Is that they combined in their makeup
the anatomical peeuliarities OF rep
tiles and birds Their great bones
are pneumatic, or hollow. like those
Of birds. This enabled them TO grow
so large without being too heavy 70
handle themselves. There are many
ways in which the skeleton OF the
tyrannosaur resembles that OF gil
gantic bird
The huge. bird-like claws and the
poise OF the animal as viewed from
the side give the impression Of
fighting-cock. and one wonders il
when tyrannosaurs fought with one
another they skung their spurs like
champions of the pit IL could hardly
be that the great, flexible tails played
no part in such battles
When the museum authorities have
completed the group, OF which the
skeleton we have been talking of
constitutes part they will have
placed before the public perhaps the
most remarkable representation OF
life upon this planet IN pre-humaa
ages that has ever been conceived
The group Is intended 10 show a
scene. enacted 100000 years ago. on
the shore Of Montana lagoon. where
gigantic. hcrhivorous trachodnn.
coming ashore TO feed has been KILLED