106 MIGHTY ANIMALS 



gradually have found some new way of feeding him- 

 self. But, as he had a small sluggish brain, he was 

 incapable of doing this. So, as plants of sturdier 

 growth began to take the place of the tropical food, 

 these poor animals, unable to get enough to nourish 

 their huge bodies, died from weakness. It may have 

 taken many generations for them all to be thus 

 vanquished in life's battle, but their downfall was 

 complete before enough time had passed for them to 

 decrease in size. This may not be the true reason 

 for the disappearance of these animals while they 

 were at the highest point of their development, but 

 it is the best one so far given by those who have made 

 a study of the subject. 



After all the Titanotheres were dead, the climate 

 of North America continued to grow colder, but the 

 change was very gradual. The country was still filled 

 with many remarkable animals among which was the 

 Elotherium, a distant and gigantic relative of the pig. 

 He must have caused terror among the smaller 

 animals, for he was a fierce brute. His head was 

 fully a yard long and his sharp teeth show that he 

 lived on both plants and roots. These beasts 



