File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18161787811).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo18amer (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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122 TEE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL The American Museum has had parties working in this quarry for several years
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past, and has been especially fortunate in obtaining a whole series of more or less complete and finely preserved skeletons of the Moropus, besides quanti- ties of other material. There are no fewer than seventeen skeletons, each being the bones of one in- dividual, and the best of them are virtually com- plete. The task of extracting and preparing these thou- sands of fragile and deli- cate bones has been a long and difficult one, and it is only now that we have been able to place the first skeleton of Moropus on ex- hibition.^ This is mounted in a standing position, the pose adopted representing the animal as looking off into the distance (toward the visitor as he enters the hall). Other skeletons, of both male and female ani- mals, will be added later to form a group. The Moropus was a rela- tive—albeit a distant one —of the rhinoceroses, ta- pirs, and horses, and be- longs with them in the order of Perissodactyls, hoofed animals with an odd number of toes on the hind foot. The ruminants. Skeleton of Moropus, found in the great Agate Spring Fossil Quarry, western Nebraska, and recently placed on exhibition in the Tertiary mammal hall of the American Museum. Note the large claws on the fore feet although it belongs to the ungulates or hoofed animals. The big extinct Moropus was one of the oddest looking beasts of its time, a combination of horse, rhinoce- ros, and camel or giraffe in its general appearance, but as seen here, with enormous claws on the front feet and smaller claws on the hind feet. American Museum parties working in this quarry for several years past have been unusually fortunate in obtaining a large series of Moropus skeletons, no fewer than seventeen representing the bones of as many single individuals, and the best of them virtually complete ^ The field work and prepara- tion of the specimens have been in charge of Mr. Albert Thomson of the Museum staff. The skeleton was mounted by Mr. Charles Lang. The technical skill, carefulness, and scientific accuracy through all stages of the work make this skel- eton one of the finest examples of modern methods of dealing with fossil vertebrates. The visitor with a little constructive imagina- tion can readily see in the skele- ton the proportions and pose of the animal; and it is as accurately true to life as the most careful scientific study can bring about.

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