Pueblo chieftain., 1921-08-21
A SURVIVOR OF
FOSSIL ANIMAL
Scientist Uncovers Interesting
Material in Wilds of South
American Jungles

Chicago, Aug. 2o.-For 100000 years !
one of the few SURVIVORS of the fossil !
animals has lived in Businesses of J
what is now South America. Nine
years ago it was discovered by an ex-
ploring expedition CT the Field Mu- .
scum of Natural History. The museum !
has Just published its first scientific
| report on it's find.
Speaking today OF his discovery, DR..
Wilfred H. osgocG OF the Field Mu-
| scum named some Of its features:
Thru all these ages this animal has 4,
continued reproducing itself without |
! important change.
| 1. is one of the most notable ex
amples of the simple life
All the other animals of Its group
have utterly vanished or been turned !
to stone hundreds of thousands of
years.
| 1t dates hack to the period when the
warm blooded animals were Just be-
ginning to evolve from the cold blood
ed reptiles. 1t is one of the Oldest iy-
ing mammals.
! 1t is mirror OF the past" with a
practical value difficult to estimate.
| A little animal it looks like a sharp :
nosed rat. 1t is oniv about six inches
long. But Its size has helped to pre-
serve 1t. 1t has email eyes, rounded
ears, a slender tail and soft brown
hair.
Caenolestes is II, uane-nodern rep
resentative of an InGent group of pre-
datory animals
DIR. osgood made his discovery in
Venezuela In 1912. He secured his
specimens In the heart of a dense for
est of the mountains there. Access to
the spot was gained by laboriously
| cutting narrow trails for long distances
thru the heavy uniergrowth.
Since then Dr. Ossood has made an
intensive study OF the animal. and 1t
Is this which the rSeld Museum has
Just published. In Il look entitled "A
Monographic studY Of the American
Marsupial. Caenolcstes.''
This little animal is quite unlik.
any other now living in the world
DR. Osgood said, "hltho 1t does not
resemble closely any species now 1lv-
ing. 1t is very intimately related TO
animals which flou ished far back in
geologic time when the foundations
were being laid for the evoluNon of
the higher animals 4 the present day.
All the others OF tho group to which 1t
belongs became extinct ages ago and
lCaenolestes alone has survived to the
present,
We know this he'.,use its bones and
teeth are essentially the same as thoss
of the extinct ANNALS. II the bones
are the same, II is probable that other
parts also are similar. Therefore
Coenolestes Is prize to the student,
for II enables him &c learn more about
the ancient fossils than is shown by
their bones. which of course are this
only parts preserved.
|
is almost incredible. Its extinct rels-
tives lived In the Miocene perod and
this. according to GOOD authorities,
was about three million years ago.
During all this tremo ndous lapse OF
days and nights IT has been able 10
withstand the competition of nature,
to find food and psuper conditions of
temperature and to care for its Young
in other words. - 1.-Two and rcproducs
, itself
Its close similarity to the extinct
forms indicates that IT has been abs
to do this without any serious change
In It's physical maScup. Tho secret OF,
its success is doubt .tss TO be found in
the simplicity Of its requirements. 1t
Is one of the most gereralized of NAM
mails now living. II las never gone TO
, special tastes or pcculiarities. It feeds
upon insects and isn't particular
; whether they are ha~i or soft, smooth
or woolly.
Three million years ago. In all
. proba bility. it5 tastes we're the same
and Insects were Just ms easy to find
then now.
zone Of its assets Las been it's small
, sis. It has seen n. siants of tbs
past come and 60 while Il vent Sc
rensly on II nry"r tried any expert
| merts never wcu' off on tangent.
and never took any chances By al
, WAYS taking the csriest and safest
, way It accomplish mere existence
and nothing olae.
' 'Tf all the ca-lv mammals had led
, tho same simple ~ the world now
would not be the for. Of place II IS.
Those that developed along special
! limos often found themselves In fatal
difficulties. but sonio Of them took tho
. lines that have led to the higher NAM
mails of today. So lar as evolutionary
. progress Il concerned. therefore, per-
Ihapz Caonolestes might as we'll hars
I ceased to exist millions Of years nso.
"Caenoiestcs belongs TO the great
fro,,ipuod nm NrX, pags)