Montana oil journal. (Great Falls, Mont.) 192?-1931, 1931-03-14

This revolution occurred naehaps
q few han4raa thousand years after
the life 0f the animal and wesasaele
things which we dug from the BAale.
II was an Easy matter 70 imagine
back into the times when this very
spot was 8 battle ground-f0r only
battles make up history, aa We
know It. The widespread extension
Of the sea a. the early Crasaeeous
period saw the Development Of aau-
attic habits among the repttfian
groups including also the birds Of
that time. The rulers, perhaps, were
the sea serpents, including M08AS-
URUs and many others: enormously
elongated creatures, reaching up to
as feet. which lived a predatory
life In the open sea. The surviv-
Ing forms Of life we're those which
took to the land.
As IN the earlier yurassic times,
reptiles were the dominant forms
and not q few lived on from the
former pBrind into the CEetaeeoua.
Bat before the close Of the Cret-
aeeous period most Of tia dissine-
tive meaozoic types had PASSED
away.
Life on the land In turn Develop
ed into q battle for survival Of tbs
fittesE. Braka strength became the
ruler. The greater the sire Of the
brute, the greater its right 70 live.
Smaller creatures were crushed 20
death beneath dinosaurs Of the type
OF HOMTO8AURUS-a kwo-ton
monster. as fact long. These erea-
lures wh0ae remains can be dug
from the sands and shalea Of Mon
tana today we're so big that they
lived without serious molestatton
through the JurRsaic period but
with the Cretaceous age came caTni-
v0rons reptiles which ware not 30
large and therefore not so clumsy
and which were armed with saber-
shaped cutting teeth and sharp
claws. No longer was brute strength
and tons OF weight the ruling fac
tor. The giants fell before these
ferocious flesh-eafing fighters which
tore the awkward monsters 20
pieces.
The harbivorouB Dinosaurs be-
gan vanishing and there developed
new species such AZ ORNITHOPODA
which resmbled somewhaA q running
bird II has been suggested that
these reptiles may hare been the
ancestors OF the class Avea. They
were from IS 70 80 feet In length.
Certains IL Is that the PTERODACs-
TYKsS or flying reptiles escaped the
saber teeth, but they were built on
defensive lines only. we're tooth
less and had q wing span Of from
is to rs feet which merely served
TO delay the time when they were
TO fall before the aggressive rulers
Of the earth. So chose who delayed
the Issue by flying away did moth
ing for themselves or for the earth.
The flying reptiles soon disap-
paared and the survivors Of the
battle OF life were those which de-
veioped armOr. The DTMHTRO-
DON developed sharp bony splnes.
the purpose Of which was surely de-
fensive. He was not q great sue
cess.
Montana came 70 the fore vita
TYRAfSNOsAURUs which developed
an armor. and Wyoming followed
with TRTCERATOPs with armOr
and also two horns on bis nose
These were little fellows" &c com
pared with BRONTOSAURus whose
as feet Of length and tons Of
weight once made him mighty. The
new fighters were OF the type 81
the modern Thinocerons WIKI both
defensive armor and fighting horns,
and their survival fs aftested By
the Finding OF the bones Of many Of
these fighters IN the Young Two
Medicine shaies on Mix River,
near where Fulton Is drilling today.
we can imagine that there was q
big movement on 60 pass q law
against" these monsters who over
whelmed the sma1ief crea1nres in
the DAYS OF BRONTOsAURUs. Then.