File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18159960045).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo10amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Text Appearing Before Image:
THE NEW PLESIOSAUR A Great Marine Reptile of the Ancient World. In appearance COMPARABLE TO "a SNAKE THREADED THROUGH THE BODY OF A TURTLE." The fossil SKELETON IS NOW ON EXHIBITION ON THE FOURTH FLOOR OF THE MuSEUM By W. D. Matihcw THE latest addition to the fossil skeletons on exhibition is a great marine reptile, eleven feet long, six feet and seven inches across from tip to tip of the paddles. It belongs to a group long since extinct and is very obviously unlike any li\ing animal. The long flippers, broad compact body and short tail suggest a huge sea turtle; but there the resem- blance ends, for the creature had no bony carapace or "shell" and the long stiflF neck and small flattened head with sharp teeth flaring out from the jaws are very unlike those of any turtles. This skeleton was found in an unusually complete condition and more- over, the bones were not distorted by crushing, which made it possible to articulate the skeleton in its true proportions and form, and mount it in a characteristic pose. Generally speaking skeletons as ancient as this one are found flattened in the rock, so that while they make a good bas-relief when the rock is chiseled away, they do not show the real form of the ani- mal as when alive. Plesiosaurs were both numerous and ^•aried in the Age of Reptiles, and their remains have been found in marine formations of this era in all parts of the world. In the United States they occur in many localities from Cali- fornia to New Jersey, Init the best specimens are from the Cretaceous formations of the Great Plains. The remains have been mostly fragmentary,
Text Appearing After Image:
Sketch Restoration of the Cryptodidui^, by Ethvin Christman. Note the small head, stiff neck and the turtle-like paddles. Based on the mounted skeleton in the American Museum

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