Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-15
STEP UP AND MEET
THE ODD MOROPUS
This Strangest of Beasts
Seems Part Horse, Rhinoc-
eros and Camel
SKELETON PUT ON VIEW
Breaks Cuvier's Law by Having
Claws Where He Should
Have Hoofs

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- Va ''e ''o' 'pu'' o"e " ''
oldest beasts or all times was placed
on exhibition recently in the American
u,,o,,,, os <a,ura, ,I;,,orv >-.u. yorls
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The animal is a strange combination
of horse, rhnoceros, camel or giraffe in
it's general appearance. but with an
enormous claw on each front foot and
smaller claw on each hind foot 1t Is
distinguished from all other species by
the fact that in place OF hoofs, which,
according TO the scheme of the animal
world. II should have. the Moropus pos
sesses these remarkable claw feet.
The specimen was mounted under the
direction of Or. W. u. Matthew, curator
of paleontology. Most OF the large
herbivorous animals of today have
hoofs on the feet, as did nearly all those
now extinct. The feet serve merely for
locomotion and not for attacking other
animals, tearing their prey or for dig
ging. as is the case with animals which
| have claws.
Go eanaraI ia this rule that for many
wears n was Thought TO be a universal
/ law of nature. A century ago Cuvier,
| the great French scientist included this
| rule in his law of correlation. He stated
| that horns and hoofs were the sole pre-
rogative of vegetarian animals. He IKE
wise maintained that claws belonged 10
| carnivorous animals and that no AM.
| NAL which subsisted on meat oiet hau
| hoofs So great was his connoence ~
| this law that it became provero,si Among
the scientists Of his day.
One Of Cuviers students who wisheo
to give him a scare disguised h,n,seil
as the devil with the traditionai horns
| and cloyen hoofs and barbed tipped taii
He stole into the savants bedroom a
midnight. and standing over the oeos'ut
aroused him from sleep with the words
"Cuvier, Cuvier. wake up; am % uh'
devil. and am come TO eat YOU iht
scientist looked over the strange VISITOR
for an instant and said "Hum-nofns
hoofs-you're graminivorous-you can
do IT," whereupon ha turned over !.
placid sleep, and the banned student lei
the room.
The Moropus Is a prehistoric contra
diction Of Cuviers law. When the mrs
scattered bones of this animal ana III
fossil relatives we're discovered III Eu
rope the teeth and skull parts were as
ISOLATED with those of an animal relate'
to the rhinoceros and other extinct am
mails Of the order of ungulates' whici
includes the horse and the tapir. CpNie
himself referred to one OF the grea
claws as "pangolin gigantesque'--or
gigantic anteater. Many years ELAPSED
before it was ascertained that thes
skulls and foot bones belonged TO IN
same animal No entire skeletons Wer
found on the European continent.
A few bones of the Moropus were un
earthed forty years ago. but 1t was no
until the agate spring fossil quarry wa
discovered in western Nebraska that de
tailed information about the anima
could be obtained. This quarry was mrs
opened and worked on a large scale b
the Carnegie Museum Of pittsburgh
which obtained a number of incomplet
skeletons of the Moropus as well a
skeletons OF the little pair horned rh
noceros and giant pig
The American Museum of Nature
History has been exploring this quar-
for several wears and has obtained sew
enteen skeletons. The many thousand
of homes thus obtained were prepare
and the museum has now been able t
place the first complete skeleton of tn
Noronus on exhibition. The animal
shown standing,
,rba Noronus was a distant relativ