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FOSSIL FARM MUSEUM OF THE FINGER LAKES
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FOSSIL FARM MUSEUM OF THE FINGER LAKES
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The Rise and Domination of Mammals - Millions of Years Ago (MYA) Paleocene 67 to 54 MYA - Eocene 54 to 34 MYA - Oligocene 34 to 24 MYA Miocene 24 to 5.3 MYA - Pliocene 5.3 to 1.8 MYA - Pleistocene 1.8 to 0.01 MYA |
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ENTELODONT/ARCHAEOTHERIUM
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ENTELODONT/ARCHAEOTHERIUM (Lower Eocene, Oligocene Upper Miocene)
Sometimes called "The Hog From Hell," it is only hog-like in appearance. Big and with a nasty disposition, Entelodont tooth marks have been found on other members of this species. This would indicate that they even fought with each other. This small brained carnivore/scavenger, with an unfriendly disposition, was among the top in the food chain. The largest lasted into the Miocene. It was called "Dinohyus" and stood almost six feet in height and had tusks rather than fangs. Biggest of the Eocene/Oligocene fanged Entelodont was Archaeotherium Mortoni, which was the size of a large cow. Rhino jaws and other mammal bones have been found with bite marks on them that match the large canines of Archaeotherium mortoni. In leaner times, it is hypothesized that Archaeotherium dug for roots and tubers, as with other pig-like mammals. |
Brule Formation, near Chadron Nebraska Front Lower Jaw, Archaeotherium Mortoni White River Group, Chadron Form., SW SD White River Group, Douglas, WY White River Group, Pennington County, SD Canine from Large Old Archaeotherium White River Group, Brule Formation SD White River Group, S.W. SD Juvenile Jaw & Adult Jaw Pieces Juvenile-Lusk, WY...Adult-Douglas WY White River Group, S.W. SD 20 Miles NE Lusk, WY White River Group, S.W. SD Tusks from Dinohyus (Largest of Group) North West, Nebraska Bouldner Formation, Isle of Wight, UK |
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OREODONT
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OREODONT EPOREODONT (Largest) (Oligocene)
One of the most numerous herbivores, it's size varied widely, usually between a sheep and a cow. They were most likely woodland and grassland browsers although they might have been omnivorous when the opportunity presented itself. The Eporeodont was about as large as a modern cow. The Oreodont may have been a herbivore, but it was not necessarily an easy mark for the predators of the day. Variations were either equipped with sharp canines or large, tearing tusks. They all had claws rather than hooves. Oreodonts probably congregated in herds and like some of today's herd mammals, might have worked together for mutual protection. They were certainly a very successful species. Existing through the Oligocine and well into the Miocene, they outlasted most of their predator adversaries.
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Brule Formation, Pennington County SD White River Chadron, S.E. WY 20 Miles North East Lusk, WY Oreodont Skull, Jaws, Maxilla, Vertebra White River Group, Chadron Lusk WY Oreodont Brain Case & Skull Piece All from White River Group Brule Formation, Pennington County, SD |
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SUBHYRACODON |
SUBHYRACODON (Oligocene)
An early American Rhino and probably the first in North America that can be considered a "true" rhino. American Rhinos were hornless. A herbivore somewhat larger than a cow, it was the largest prevalent American mammal of its day with the exception of Titanothere (Brontothere). Fossils have been found near woodland streams rather than swampy plains. The very largest of all land mammals was the huge Indricotherium of the late Oligocene and early Miocene which was 25 feet long, 17 feet tall, and weighed nearly 18 tons .
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White River Brule, Pennington County, SD Rear Right Jaw Section & matching Canines All from White River Group Chadron Formation, Pennington County, SD White River Group, North West Nebraska 20 Miles N.E. Lusk, Wyoming |
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BEAR DOG |
BEAR DOG (Amphicyon) (Oligocene, Upper-Middle Miocene)
One of the Creodont group of carnivorous predators in the Oligocene. Called "Bear Dog," it was in fact, not directly related to the bear or the dog. The bear size Amphicyon longiramus was the largest, dominant, land predator in the mid-Miocene until slowly going extinct. Typical of early mammal predators, it was noted for a large head and small brain. The very successful Daphoenus was the size of a small female wolf or more likely, that of a coyote. Interestingly, the most imposing sub-species (Longiramus) bore more of a skeletal resemblance to a large bear than a canid. But size can be a hindrance in a slowly changing environment that favors nimbleness and speed. It probably couldn't compete in conditions more favorable to more efficient predators and increasingly fleetly prey. |
Femur from Longiramus, largest of species Teeth, Amphicyon Longiramus (Largest) Teeth Daphoenus (small coyote size) "Miller Site" Lower Suwannee River Dixie County, FL Jaw Pieces, Skull, Vert, all size species Jaw Piece (Longiramus) - Suwannee River, FL Cervical Vertebra (Daphoenus) Skull and Jaw (Daphoenus) - N.W. Nebraska Upper Brule Formation, NW Nebraska Tooth Compare, Daphoenus & Longiramus Daphoenus (Oligocene) Longiramus (Miocene) White River Brule Formation, SD |
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CORYPHODON
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CORYPHODON (Eocene, Upper Oligocene)
Possibly the dumbest large mammal to ever live if you use brain weight to total weight as a benchmark. The Coryphodon weighed in at some 1,200 pounds, but its brain was only three ounces. None the less, it survived some fifteen million years, so it must have had something going for it. |
White River Group, Chadron Formation Pennington County SD San Juan Formation near Lindrith, NM (In smaller Box) Wildwood Formation WY |
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PHENACODUS |
PHENACODUS (Lower Paleocene/Mid Eocene)
A long extinct sheep size mammal from the late Paleocene through middle Eocene, about 55-40 million years ago. It is one of the earliest and most primitive of the ungulate (hoofed) mammals found to date. A multiple toe/hoofed mammal with five toes terminating with a small hoof on each. Its substantial canines, with rear teeth more suited for eating vegetation, lead one to presume that it was omnivorous. |
Eocene Deposits, Wilwood Formation, WY Eocene Deposits, Wilwood Formation, WY |
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HYAENODON
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HYAENODON Horridus, Cruentus, Mustelinus (Oligocene, Upper Miocene)
Another nasty member of the Creodont family of predators, the Hyaenodon probably went head to head with Entelodont (above) in the killing fields of the Oligocene. In later periods, Hyaenodon may have been unable to compete with developmental refinement of other predators such as canids and cats, leading to gradual extinction over millions of years. But in the late Eocene and entire Oligocene, pure brute force was more than adequate for elevation to the top of the food chain. Another theory is that a slowly changing environment and effects on natural selection might have favored their previously slower, smaller prey. None the less, this impressive predator had a successful run of some fifteen million years, which is nothing to sneeze at. Sub-species size ranged from that of a small a coyote to a large Black Bear. |
Brule Formation near Chadron, NE Horridus (Juvenile) Complete Lower Jaw White River Brule Badlands, S.W. SD Cruentus (Adult) Complete Lower Jaw White River Brule Badlands, S.W. SD Hyaenodon Skull (Composite View) Upper - Chadron NE, Lower - S.W., SD Mustelinus Jaw, Maxilla, Canine Sioux County, Nebraska White River Brule Badlands, S.W. SD White River Group Brule Formation, SD Braincase & Exposed Brain Cast White River, Pennington County, SD Cruentus Paw, Leg Bones, Others White River, Pennington County, SD Horridus leg Bones - Femur, Tibia White River, N.W. Nebraska White River Badlands, S.W. SD |
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POEBROTHERIUM (Camel)
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POEBROTHERIUM (Camel) (Oligocene)
Most people don't realize that the camel originated in the Americas and not Asia. It's migration was westward, not eastward. During this period, the Camel was barely three feet high. Over millions of years, evolutionary natural selection favored larger, taller size on the drier, cooler, plains. The late North American fossil record is replete with large size camels who disappeared with the arrival of Man. This earliest of camels was barely three feet high which worked well in it's mixed forested environment of 30 million years ago. |
Badlands, S.W. South Dakota 20 miles N.E. Lusk, WY 20 Miles N.E. Lusk, WY Jaws & Partial Skull from Juvenile White River Badlands, SD 20 miles N.E. Lusk, WY 20 Miles N.E. Lusk Wyoming Jaws, Leg Bones, Ribs, Vertebra 20 Miles N.E. Lusk Wyoming Maxilla, Verts, Toe Bones Same Animal White River Group, Douglas WY |
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HESPEROCYON |
HESPEROCYON (Late Eocene/Oligocene) BOROPHAGINAE (Oligocene/Miocene)
"Hesperocyon is an extinct genus of canid or dog family and earliest true dog found to date. Earliest fossils go back about 40 million years. Most were just under three feet in length but some were rather larger. Smaller examples looked more like a modern civet or a small raccoon than a canine. Its body and tail were long and flexible, although as with all fossils, the amount of fur on body and tail is purely speculative. Its limbs appear to have been relatively weak and short. Still, the build of its ossicles (inner ear bones) and distribution of its teeth showed it was a canid. Although it was definitely a carnivore, it may also have been an omnivore. The
subfamily Borophaginae is an extinct group of canids in North America,
surviving from roughly 35-2.5 million years. Probably an offshoot of
Hesperocyon they evolved to become considerably larger than their
predecessors before extinction. Size varied from small omnivores to
powerful, bear-sized "bone crushing" carnivores. |
(All) White River Chadron, S.W. SD White River Brule Formation, Lusk, WY White River Group, Douglas, WY Small Borophaginae Canine & Atlas Vertebra Suwannee River, Dixie County FL |
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DINICTIS |
DINICTIS ("False" Saber Cat) (Oligocene)
A member of what is called "The false Cats," due to several differences in among other things, the foot bones and inner ear bones. A saber toothed predator about the size of a small Puma and in the Nimravid family. We can speculate links to later cats, but the fossil record has many gaps. This is very common between the limited fossil record of the past and what we see today. |
Dinictis Front Leg Bones Radius & Ulna Pennington County, South Dakota Pennington County South Dakota 20 Miles N.E. Lusk, WY 20 Miles N.E. Lusk, WY Teeth Incisors and Molars in jaw S.W. South Dakota 20 Miles N.E. Lusk, WY N.W. Nebraska N.W. Nebraska N.W. Nebraska Metacarpal distal end (Foot Bone) N.W. Nebraska |
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HOPLOPHONEUS |
HOPLOPHONEUS ("False" Saber Cat) (Oligocene)
Another member of what is called "The false Cats," due to several differences in among other things, the foot bones and inner ear bones. A saber toothed predator about the size of a small Leopard and in the Nimravid family. Hoplophoneus was outwardly structured like the true but much later Pleistocene cat Smilodon, including the saber-like teeth. |
Toe Bone, Jaw, Teeth + Fang segments White River Group, N.W. Nebraska |
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ICTOPS (Insectavore) |
ICTOPS (Insectavore) (Oligocene)
During the dinosaur age, small insect eating mammals spent their time, consuming insects and hiding from reptiles. This is one of their descendants from the subsequent age of early mammals. Descendants are still alive today, such as the Shrews and share many similarities. Like other smaller animals, this group has survived several mass extinctions of larger mammals. There have been many climate changes and mass extinctions, with most land animals over 20 pounds in weight disappearing forever. |
Skull - Brule Formation, White River Badlands Pennington County, SD Jaw Pieces and Vertebra - Sioux County, N.W. Nebraska
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HYRACODON |
HYRACODON (Oligocene)
Called "Running Rhino," it is more horse-like than rhino-like. It shared the plains with Oreodonts and others. The early fossil record proves out few lineages (the horse being a possible exception) and we can only speculate. It was a lightly built, pony-like mammal of about five feet in length. Hyracodon's skull was large in comparison to the rest of the body. Its teeth resembled that of later rhinoceroses, but it was a much smaller animal. It had a short, broad snout and its long, slender limbs had three digits. Physiologically, it bore a resemblance to the very largest of all land mammals, the huge Indricotherium of the late Oligocene and early Miocene, which was 25 feet long, 17 feet tall, and weighed nearly 18 tons . |
North West, Nebraska Pennington County, South Dakota Pennington County, South Dakota Upper Teeth in Partial Skull (Maxilla) Pennington County, South Dakota Pennington County, South Dakota N.W. Nebraska 20 Miles N.E. Lusk WY |
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CYNODICTIS ("In Between Dog")
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CYNODICTIS ("In Between Dog") (Oligocene)
A very interesting smaller but elegant predator, about the size of a female coyote. Its name was taken because it shared physical qualities of the dog and cat. This is not unique as can be witnessed by the modern Hyaena. Some feel Cynodictis had the ability to climb trees. Cynodictis had a long muzzle and a low-slung body. It had carnassial scissor teeth for slicing chunks of meat off carcasses. Cynodictis probably used its speed to chase down rabbits and small rodents, but may also have been able to dig them out of their burrows. Cynodictis lived on open, semi-arid plains that were crisscrossed by rivers.
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White River Brule Formation, Pennington County, SD |
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HORSE (Eohippus to Pleistocene)
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HORSE (Eohippus Hyracotherium to Ice Age) (Eocene to Pleistocene)
Horse evolution is probably the best example of slow change over tens of millions of years due to Natural Selection pressures of changing environment. A small one foot tall forest dweller of the Eocene called Hyracotherium a.k.a. Eohippus (Dawn Horse), had four front hoofs on each limb and three in the back. This was followed by the somewhat larger Mesohippus, with three toe hoofs. As the forests receded over tens of millions of years and the environment dried to plains, larger and taller animals tended to survive and breed with each other. The result is the graceful, fleety, single hoof modern horse that was tall and quick enough to escape predators of the plains. The horse is native to America but was hunted to extinction by the arrival of the American Indian some 10,000 years ago. It returned to this continent by the Spanish Conquistadors, who arrived on our shores some five hundred years ago, with descendants of American horses that migrated to Asia and Europe. |
White River Group, Pennington County, SD Brule Formation, White River Group SD Mesohippus Femur, Scapula, Atlas Vertebra, Teeth, Hooves, etc., from same animal White River Brule Formation, SD Sioux County, Nebraska White River, Brule Formation S.W., SD Hyracotherium (Eohippus) Upper Teeth Hyracotherium (Eohippus) Lower Teeth Wildwood Formation, WY Hyracotherium (Eohippus) Jaw Section Eocene San Jose Formation, N.W. New Mexico Horse Teeth 40 Million Years to Today Hyracotherium - (aka Eohippus) teeth from Wildwood Formation, WY Mesohippus - White River Chadron, S.W. SD Nannippus - Florida phosphate mine Parahippus - Wuwannee River Florida Pleistocene Horse - North Central FL Pleistocene Ice Age Horse Vertebra Northern Florida |
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 PALAEOLAGUS |
PALAEOLAGUS (Late Eocene/Oligocene)
Palaeolagus, meaning "ancient hare," is an extinct genus of lagomorph in the family Leporidae. While closely related to modern rabbits, its shorter hind legs indicate it ran more like rodents, to which it is more distantly related, than hopping like rabbits of today. Palaeolagus chewed differently than rodents due to having TWO pairs of incisors in the upper jaw as opposed to a single pair in rodents. Jaws are adapted for nibbling grass and plant material. While Palaeolagus was possibly highly prevalent in the environment of Oligocene North America, the size and fragility of their fossils make them extremely rare. Only two almost complete fossil bodies have been found to date. |
Partial Pelvis, Vertebra & Assorted bones Early Oligocene (Chadron) White River, SD |
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LEPTOMERYX
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LEPTOMERYX (Oligocene)
A deer-like being of small stature and delicacy. It's only remaining descendent is the Mouse Deer which shares similar characteristics and a severely limited habitat.
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(All) White River Badlands, Interior SD |
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TITANOTHERE
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TITANOTHERE (Brontothere) (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene)
Looking similar to the Rhinoceros, the Titanothere (or Brontothere) is not really an early relative. In the Badlands of South Dakota and Nebraska, the Sioux Indian tribes revered the long extinct fossils that they found. Brontothere means "Thunder Beast." They believed that when their spirits galloped across the sky, thunder was created. Herbivores, the carnivorous predators of the day probably tread carefully around these giants, who stood over eight feet at the shoulders. Picture an ancient animal looking like a giant Rhino, as large as a female Elephant, but related to neither. |
Pennington County, SD Pennington County, SD Atlas & Axis Vertebra fit together Pennington County, SD Teeth Including Incisors & Foot Bones Complete Radius Leg Bone in Matrix All from White River Badlands, S.W. SD 20 Miles NE Lusk, Wyoming |
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MEGALODON (Miocene)
Megalodon means "big tooth." It is obviously not a mammal, although it did eat many, including the large Sperm whale. Megalodon was a giant shark that lived between 18 million to 1.5 million years ago and was the premier predator of its time. This magnificent terror was over fifty feet in length. When fully opened, its mouth was so large that a small automobile could drive through. The surviving Great White shark of then and today, was dwarfed by this massive creature, who probably became extinct due to changing near-shore hunting grounds. That the Great White survived, is testament to natural selection through adaptation. Megalodon's jaw to the left with a human silhouette inside, shows the massive size of this largest of sharks. |
South Caroline Coast Megalodon Tooth & Large Sperm Whale Vert. South Carolina Coast Megalodon Tooth & Small Sperm Whale Vert. South Carolina Coast. |
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MID-MIOCENE JACKAL-LIKE HYENA Ictitherium Viverrinum
LATE-MIOCENE BONE CRUSHING HYENA Adcrocuta eximia |
EARLY HYENAS Ictitherium Viverrinum & Adcrocuta eximia (Mid-Late Miocene)
Fifteen million years ago, dog-like hyenas flourished, with 30 different species being identified. They were not canids although they did appear canid-like. Unlike some of their modern descendants, these hyenas were not specialized bone-crushers, but were more nimble, Jackal-like animals, only larger. The dog-like hyenas had canid-like molars, allowing them to supplement their carnivorous diet with vegetation and invertebrates. The best known of the Jackal-like hyenas was Ictitherium Viverrinum although others were very similar. They lived between 11 million and 6 million years ago throughout Europe and Asia. Five to seven million years ago (Late Miocene), most dog-like hyenas were out-competed by true canids traveling from North America to Eurasia via the Bering land bridge. The first bone-cracking hyena, Adcrocuta eximia, does not appear in the fossil record until the late Miocene. The skull of Adcrocuta bears a close resemblance to that of modern spotted, brown and striped hyenas. However, Adcrocuta had a very stocky build, with short, robust limbs and fuller, shorter snout skull. |
Ictitherium Viverrinum (or similar) Skull Guanhe Beds, Gansu Province China Hipparion Fauna Gansu Province China Hipparion Fauna Gansu Province China
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TELEOCERAS (Mid Miocene/Early Pliocene)
First identified as being in the the Mid-Miocene, this rather odd member of the rhino family thrived until the very early stage of the Pliocene. At first glance, it had a rhino-like head with a hippopotamus-like body. Its body was long and stout, with short, stumpy legs. Males had a single, small cone-like nasal horn. Over all physical qualities would indicate a semi-aquatic life, with teeth suggesting a grazing diet. Carbon isotope analysis of teeth seem to support this theory. |
Ogalala Formation, Optima OK |
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DESMOSTYLUS
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DESMOSTYLUS (Very Late Oligocene/Late Miocene)
An extremely rare, large, exotic, aquatic mammal that roamed the coastal areas of Asia and Western North America, these beings have what might be the oddest teeth ever seen. It was between 6-6.5 feet in length and weight is estimated at between 450-500 pounds. In the United States, most fossils are found around Fresno, California in matrix. Their demise after millions of years was most likely caused by slowly changing coastlines and available specialized food supply. In today's world, Fresno is in the middle of California and no longer coastline. This is another result of natural climate change that we can do little to alter. Some have argued it may have fed on seaweed during low tide. However, recent isotope work indicates that Demostylus more likely lived in freshwater or estuary ecosystems and ate aquatic freshwater plants. Only two reasonably in tact skeletons have been discovered in the United States and Japan. Sporadic remains have been found along the northern Pacific Rim from Baja, Mexico northward along the coast of California, Oregon, Washington and west to Sakhalin Island, Hokkaido, Japan, and south to the Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Despite some similarities to manatees and elephants, desmostylians were entirely unlike any other living creatures. Perhaps the most prized fossil is the complete tusk, the size of which receded in later fossil remains. These deeply rooted tusks are owned by a handful of museums and few collectors.
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Temblor Formation, Fresno County, CA Temblor Formation, Fresno County, CA Temblor Formation North of Coalinga CA |
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DIDELPHODON (Cretaceous 65-70 Million years ago)
Perhaps the most well known small mammal, nervously co-existing with the giant reptiles during the late dinosaur period. Made popular in the BBC movie "Walking with Dinosaurs," the title "hiding from dinosaurs" might be more appropriate. The largest were Opossum size and based on their teeth, all are presumed to be carnivorous. Some like to think of it as being raider of dinosaur nests. This is pure conjecture, but it's nice to think of mammals fighting back, even in a rather covert way. Little more than teeth, some jaws and skull fragments have been found, which means that the possible shape is based on existing animals with similar characteristics, combined with the imagination of BBC artists. It was probably nocturnal, hiding out from reptilian carnivores during the day. It's teeth have similarities to the Sea Otter, leading some to speculate that it may have been somewhat semi-aquatic, but nobody really knows. |
Two Canines, One Double Rooted Molar Powder River County, MT Young Didelphodon Jaw & unrelated Tooth Hell Creek Formation, MT Hell Creek Formation, MT |
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MORGANUCODON WATSONI
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MORGANUCODON WATSONI (Triassic 200 Million years ago)
Small mammals co-existed in the world of dinosaurs, albeit rather tenuously. Their survival is a testament to what would mature into the larger dominant life forms, some one hundred fifty million years later. This mini-mammal lived during the Upper Triassic. It first appeared in the fossil record about 205 million years ago. Unlike many other early mammals, Morganucodon is well represented and preserved though skeletal fossil segments. Most of this comes from Glamorgan in Wales UK (Morganucodon watsoni), but fossils have also been found in the Yunnan Province in China and in various parts of Europe and North America. Its skull was about the size of a small paper clip.
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Molar the Size of a Grain of Sand County of Glamorgan, Wales UK |
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Late Pleistocene Ice Age. The Arrival of Early Man & the Swansong of Giants |
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WOOLLY MAMMOTH
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WOOLLY MAMMOTH COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH (Pleistocene)
A beautiful, Ice Age mammal that is genetically almost exactly like the Indian Elephant. Most likely, it migrated northward and spread out into the increasingly frigid climate of an encroaching ice age. Over millions of years, ears became smaller to retain heat and they grew a thick coat of hair. The Columbian Mammoth lived in cool but not frigid areas of North America. It was larger than the Woolly Mammoth and rather less furry. We can only speculate, but their rather quick extinction is directly proportional to the entrance of Man into their environment. Over hunting? Disease jumping from Man to another species? Probably both. Tusks of varying quality have been discovered from Alaska to Asian Russia. Because of its excellent patina, finer pieces of varying sizes have been used as a medium for some beautiful carving by skilled artisans. |
Woolly Mammoth Tusk Tip (Juvenile) Elim, Alaska North Sea, Netherlands Woolly Mammoth Juveniles Vertebra North Sea, Netherlands North Sea, Netherlands (Large Teeth) Woolly Sarasota FL, (Baby Tooth) Columbian Mam. Baumont Clay Formation, Brazos River, TX English Coast Lowestoft Columbian Mammoth Skull Pieces Baumont Clay Formation, Brazos River, TX Femur from Juvenile Wooly Mammoth North Sea, Netherlands Carved Ivory Art. Artisan, unknown Probably Russian or Alaskan Ivory
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MASTODON
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MASTODON (Pleistocene)
The late Pleistocene is the period where Man and Ice Age animals met. The result was disaster for among other creatures, the Mastodon. Shorter but broader than the Wooly Mammoth, this elephantine being inhabited wooded areas that favored lower size but broader bulk. It's teeth are very different from the Mammoth or modern Elephant, indicating a more woodland diet requiring crushing rather than grinding. Many feel that this was another animal made extinct by early man into their environment. Probably so. |
North Central, Florida Complete Teeth, Juvenile to Adult Inner Mongolia, China Suwannee River, Florida South Carolina, U.S.A. Thoracic (Neck) Vertebra Process Taylor, Florida |
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WOOLLY RHINO
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WOOLLY RHINO (Pleistocene)
Even today, Rhino's are under pressure because of their dependence on a specialized eco-system and human poaching. The Wooly Rhino is really a modern day rhinoceros whose physical appearance is a product of a slowly changing, more frigid environment. Up to thirteen feet long, its front horn was as much as three feet in length. Never as numerous as the Mammoth or Mastodon, in the battle between encroaching man, the awesome Wooly Rhino came up short through hunting and possible jumping of microbes from Man to animal. Over the years, diseases jumping from Man to another species or from another species to Man have proven disastrous, through lack of biological resistance. Unlike the Woolly Mammoth, we have no record of the Woolly Rhino migrating to the Western Hemisphere. Many Paleontologists hypothesize that the true Woolly Rhino (Coelodonta antiquitatis) originated in North East China, some 1.5 million years ago, migrating to Europe some 500,000 years ago. Remains have been found in Jilin and Heilongjiang Provinces of North East China, East of Northern Inner Mongolia. |
Jilin or Heilongjiang Province, China Femur (Upper Rear Right Leg Bone) North Sea Netherlands North Sea Netherlands North Sea Netherlands Rhine River, Germany North Sea Netherlands North Sea Netherlands North Sea Netherlands North Sea Netherlands Radius/Ulna Lower Front Leg Composite North Sea Netherlands North Sea Netherlands North Sea Netherlands |
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CAVE BEAR (Ursus spelaeus)
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CAVE BEAR (Ursus spelaeus) (Pleistocene)
The extinction of the magnificent giant Cave Bear was with little doubt, caused by the planned acts of Man. Ursus spelaeus was different from other bears. They lived year round in caves and not just to hibernate. Evidence indicates that they were not solitary but lived in "clans." Ice age Man wanted the caves as their own habitat. According to the fossil record, the final battle occurred between a large group of bears and a larger group of well armed Cro-Magnon Man in the mountains of Yugoslavia. Extinction was complete about 27,000 years ago. |
Southern Urals, Russia Styria, Austria Central Carpathian Mountains, Romania Fingerbone with Claw - Chateubourg, France Claw alone - Serbsko, Czech Republic |
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DIRE WOLF
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DIRE WOLF (Pleistocene)
The Dire Wolf is the largest canid that ever lived. It co-existed with the modern Grey Wolf but had a more restricted diet. Evidence indicated that it survived almost entirely on the slower, heavy boned Pleistocene Bison. The Dire Wolf's heavy boned bodies were excellent for bringing down these large beasts. But unlike the lighter Grey Wolf, it did not lend itself to the limberness for quicker, more available game. The imposing Dire Wolf existed for around one million years and then disappeared. Considering Mans short presence on earth, we can't really talk. |
Canine, Molar, Pre-Molar Same Animal Sink Hole, North Central FL Canine - Santa Fe River Near Ft. White, FL Molar & Jaw - Suwannee River, FL |
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GLYPTODONT
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(Late Pliocene/Pleistocene)
About the size of a small automobile, these lumbering, gentle giants fell easy prey to the American Indians (now called "Native Americans") who ruthlessly and capriciously killed them for their shell. They did the same to the harmless Giant Armadillo, who's much smaller, equally harmless relatives survive today. The Glyptodont's armor plate weighed about 1,000 pounds, or half its total weight. |
Scutes Connected (Armor Plates) Southern New Mexico Sink hole, South West FL Scutes Connected (Armor Plates) Charlotte County Florida Shell Spike (Bottom, Rear Edge of Armor) and Skull Scute from Same Animal Charlotte County Florida |
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GIANT SLOTH |
GIANT GROUND SLOTH (Pleistocene)
Another casualty of the arrival of Man to America in the form of the American Indian's crossing from Asia. Eremotherium and Megatherium were the largest, being some twenty feet tall on it's hind legs and weighing as much as five tons. Glossotherium was thirteen feet in standing height. Others were smaller but still quite large. Capable of being dangerous when provoked, these all too trusting gentle giant vegetarians fell prey to the primitive but deadly weapons of Man. Their much smaller tree sloth relatives survive today in Central and South America, hiding out from humanity.
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Sternum Bone & Cervical Vertebra Wakulla River, Florida Wrist Bone - Peace River, Hardee Cty. FL Megalonyx Teeth - Taylor County, FL St. Mary's River, FL Wakulla River, FL |
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DIPROTODON (Pleistocene)
Not a mammal at all and unique to Australia, Diprotodon was the largest known marsupial that ever lived. It existed through much of the Pleistocene, from 1.6 million years ago until about 40,000 years ago. Diprotodon spp. fossils have been found in many places across Australia, including complete skulls and skeletons, as well as hair and foot impressions. More than one female skeleton has been found with a baby lying in her pouch. It inhabited open forest, woodlands, and grasslands, possibly staying close to water, and eating leaves, shrubs and some grasses. The largest specimens were the size of a hippopotamus. Visualize a super-sized Koala, which is its closest living relative.
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New South Wales, Australia |
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