54 



Marvels of the Universe 



like those of a comb. The head and neck measured nearly twice the length of the body : but the tail, 

 which tapered away to a slender point and must have been as flexible almost as a whip-lash, was 

 close upon fifty feet long. It is difficult to imagine what purpose this tail can have served, unless, 

 hke that of the modern monitor lizard, it was used to slash such enemies as Diplodocus may have 

 had amongst contemporary predacious Dinosaurs. It is supposed that this reptile was amphibious 

 in habits, and fed upon plants it uprooted from the bottom of the water. Perhaps the claws were 

 used for this purpose, and the formation of the teeth suggests that they may iiave played the part 

 of a sieve, allowing the water to escape from the mouth in front and retaining at the same time 

 the food within it. It may be that Diplodocus took refuge from its enemies in lakes ; and since no 



RESTORATION OF THE DIPLODOCUS 



This photograph is taken from one of the remarUable restorations of prehistoric animals in Carl Hagenbeck's Park, near 

 Hamburg. It gives a good idea of the size and proportions of the animal contrasted with modern vegetation. 



reptiles can breathe under water, it has been suggested that one of the uses of the extraordinarily 

 long neck of this species was to enable it to raise its head to the surface, keeping the 

 body deeply submerged. Even with all four feet resting on the ground, the animal could 

 have thrust its eyes and nostrils into the air in water five or more fathoms in depth, while 

 if it stood up like a kangaroo, supported on the hind legs and the muscular portion of the 

 base of the tail, some six or nine feet would have been added to its stature. 



It is impossible to know the causes which led to the extermination of Diplodocus and other 

 Dinosaurs. Perhaps, however, some climatic changes dried up the swamps and lakes and 

 destroyed the vegetation upon which they depended. With the close of the epoch which saw their 

 disappearance, the carnivorous Dinosaurs, which probably preyed upon them, disappeared also. 



