DlNOTHERIUM.] 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



Ill 



general outline of the adapts we have as yet no 

 means of arriving at any idea. 



483, 485.— The Dinotherium: 

 (D. gigantewn), as resloved by Professor Kaup. 

 Cuvier, from teeth and isolated fragments, gave, in 

 his work on fossil bones, the title of " Tapir gigan- 

 tesque '' to the huge animal of which they were the 

 relics, the oniy ones then discovered. It was re- 

 served for Professor Kanp to add to our knowledge 

 of the animal in question, by the discovery first 

 of several lower jaws (Fie:. 487), and subsequently 

 of the skull (Fig. 486 \ which were found imbedded 

 in a stratum of sandstone (the second or Mio- 

 cene system of tertiary deposits), at Eppelsheim, 

 about twelve miles south of Mayence, in company 

 with relics of the following, viz. : a second species 

 of Dinotherium, making the species 2 : Tapirus, 2, 

 larger than living species: Chahcotherium (allied 

 to Tapirs), 2; Rhinoceros, 2; Tetracaulodou (allied 

 to Mastodon), 1 ; Hippotherinm (allied to Horse), 

 1; Sus, 3; Felis (some as large as a Lion), 4; 

 Machairodus (allied to Bear, Ursus cullridens): 

 Gulo (Glutton), 1 ; Agnotherium (allied to Dog, but 

 as large as a Lion), 1. 



Cuvier, before he had completed the last edition 

 of his ' Regne Animal,' became aware of M. Kaup's 

 discovery of the lower jaw, and in his Additions, 

 vol. i. p. 581, he alludes to this fragment as afford- 

 ing data for the separation of the "Tapir gigan- 

 tesque" into a distinct genus. To this genus M. 

 Kaup has given the title Dinotherium. The skull 

 of this extraordinary animal is more than a yard in 

 length, and the size and situation of the nasal oritice 

 (Fig. 484), with the salient portion of the short 

 nasal bones, indicate the probable possession of a 

 proboscis ; we say probable, because in the Manatee 

 or .Lamantin, and also the Duyong, we have a 

 similar extent and situation of the nasal oritice, a 

 circumstance militating against the inference that 

 a proboscis necessarily accompanies this conforma- 

 tion of the skull. Indeed the general aspect of the 

 skull of the Dinotherium, setting aside the tusks of 

 the lower jaw, and its strange alveolar projection, 

 strongly reminds us of that of the Lamantin (Mana- 

 tus, Cu\\). The orbits themselves are very small, 

 but the temporal' fossae are very deep and extensive, 

 indicating the great mass of the temporal muscle. 

 The lower jaw is most remarkable. It is armed at 

 the extremity with two enormous tusks (incisors), 

 ■which, instead of projecting upwards or forwards, 

 sweep downwards, and curve gently backwards, 

 having their roots imbedded in enormous alveoli. 



0? 

 The dentition is as follows: — Incisors 75-, Canines 



0—9 5-5 



jr—ft Molars, — — = 22. Of the molars the third 



U— u 5—5 



has three transverse ridges across its surface, the 

 others have two, with the exception of the first 

 molar of the lower jaw r , which has only one at its 

 posterior part, the anterior portion being trenchant. 

 Fig. 488 represents the palatal view of the skull of 

 the Dinotherium. Fig. 400, the molar teeth and 

 the relative bearing of the two rows, which approxi- 

 mate towards each other anteriorly. 



The situation and affinities of the Dinotherium 

 have been the subject of much speculation, and very 

 opposite opinions have been entertained by different 

 naturalists. M. Kaup, influenced by the discovery 

 of huge claws and a scapula, resembling in charac- 

 ter those of the Pangolins (Manis), assigns the ani- 

 mal t'j the Edentata, but differing from all extant 

 species not only in exceeding the elephant in size, 

 but in having, like the elephant, a proboscis. Dr. 

 Buckland regards the Dinotherium as approximating 

 to the tapir, of aquatic habits, and furnished with 

 a proboscis, by means of which it conveyed to 

 the mouth the vegetables raked from the bottom of 

 lakes and rivers by its tusks and claws ; and he 

 alludes to its claw resembling that of the Pangolins. 

 MM. Blainville and Dumeril consider the Dino- 

 therium to have been allied to the Lamantins, or 

 "aquatic gravigrades,"— to have been in fact a 

 Duyong with tusk-incisors, and therefore one of the 

 concluding forms of the Pachydermata. They con- 

 sider 1 hat it. had no proboscis, but a huge inflated 

 muzzle and upper lip. Gaeger places it with the 

 seals. Now as regards M. Kaup's theory, we may 

 at once state that the claws and scapula on which 

 he founds it are not proved to belong to the Dino- 

 therium ; and he himself admits that should the dis- 

 covery take place of other fossil relics whence the 

 eertain existence of a Manis gigantea might be 

 presumed, his theory would be overthrown. Our 

 own opinion coincides with that of M. Blainville. 

 The occipital condyles (see the posterior view of the 

 skull see from below, Fig. 489, and the skull, Fig. 

 486) are terminal, or in the direction of the longitudi- 

 nal axis of the skull, as in Lamantins, and also the 

 Cetacea Mammalia modified for aquatic existence. 

 The occipital surface is large, subvertical, and even 

 inclined from before backwards, with a profound 

 mesial depression for the insertion either of a very 



strong cervical ligament, or powerful muscles for 

 the elevation of the head. The basilary portion of 

 the skull (Figs. 488, 489) is narrow in its com- 

 ponent parts, while the vertical surface (Fig. 486) 

 is, as in the Lamantins and Duyongs, very wide, 

 overplumbing the temporal fossae, of which the 

 depth and width indicate the enormous levator 

 muscles of the lower jaw, not only for the purpose 

 of mastication, but for the particular action of the 

 lower jaw, with its rake-like tusks. Moreover, in 

 the lower jaw we find an analogy to that of the 

 Duyong, of which the branches curve downwards 

 for a third of their length to a deflected symphysis, 

 only that in the Dinotherium this downward curva- 

 ture is carried to a far greater extreme, for the im- 

 plantation of tusk-incisors. What were the limbs of 

 this gigantic animal ? If its habits were terrestrial, 

 which a consideration of the skull forbids us to be- 

 lieve, the Dinotherium must have had solid pillars of 

 support, like the limbs of the elephant, and destitute 

 of that liberty which even in the Pangolins they are 

 endowed with ; but, if our ideas are correct, its limbs 

 were adapted for aquatic locomotion, and perhaps 

 the posterior pair were wanting, or formed the ele- 

 ments of a terminal paddle. Its diet was undoubt- 

 edly vegetable, as in the Duyong; and we may 

 conceive it tearing up the strong-fibred vegetables 

 from their subaquatic bed by means of its tusks, 

 which might serve also as weapons of offence, or 

 as anchors for the purpose of mooring itself to 

 the banks of the lake or river, or of dragging its 

 unwieldy body partially out of the water. 



Dr. Buckland informs us that bones of the Dino- 

 therium have lately been found in tertiary fresh-water 

 limestone near Orthes, at the foot of the Pyrenees, 

 and with them remains of a new genus allied to 

 rhinoceros, of several unknown species of deer, and 

 of a dog or wolf equalling a lion in size. 



Cuvier and Kaup calculate the length of the 

 Dinotherium at. about eighteen feet ; the massive 

 lower jaw measures nearly four feet, exclusive of 

 the tusks. 



491, 492. — Fossil Skull of Toxodon 

 (Toxodon Platensis, Owen). We are inclined to refer 

 the Toxodon, of which an imperfect skull and frag- 

 ments of a lower jaw, and some teeth, are our only 

 guides, to the aquatic Pachyderms ; and, as in the 

 instance of the Dinotherium, we draw our deductions 

 from the weight of the skull, from the form and 

 position of the nasal aperture, the slope of the 

 occiput, and the position of the occipital condyles. 



The skull in question was brought by Mr. Darwin 

 from South America. It appears that during his 

 sojourn in Banda Oriental he heard of some giant's 

 bones at a farm-house on the Sarandis, a small stream 

 entering the Rio Negro, about 120 miles north- 

 west of Monte Video. Accordingly there he rode, 

 and for the sum of eighteen-pence purchased the 

 cranium now in the museum of the Royal College 

 of Surgeons, London. Mr. Darwin was informed by 

 the people at the farm-house that the relics were 

 exposed in consequence of a flood having washed 

 down part of the bank of earth. W T hen first found 

 the skull was perfect ; but unfortunately the boys 

 of the neighbourhood knocked out the "teeth with 

 stones, and set up the head as a mark to throw at. 

 Mr. Darwin, however, found a perfect tooth, and 

 fragments ascertained by Professor Owen to be 

 those of the lower jaw. These remains were so 

 fresh as to render it difficult to believe that ages 

 had passed since their interment ; and Mr. Darwin 

 observes that they contained so much animal 

 matter, that when a portion was heated in the flame 

 of a spirit-lamp, it not only exhaled a very strong 

 animal odour, but burnt with a slight flame. The 

 deposit in which they were imbedded was a whitish 

 argillaceous earth, forming the banks of the Sa- 

 randis, overlying a granitic foundation. 



The skull in question equals in size that of the 

 hippopotamus, measuring two feet four inches in 

 length, and one foot fourinchesin extreme breadth. 

 The form of the skull (Figs. 491, 492) is elongated 

 and depressed ; the zygomatic arches are of enor- 

 mous size and strength, an index of the great 

 volume of the temporal and masseter muscles. The 

 occipital region (Fig. 493) slopes from the condyles 

 upwards and forwards. The maxillary portion of 

 the skull is compressed laterally, narrow across, and 

 with large intermaxillary bones, slightly dilated at 

 their extremity. The superior part of the skull was 

 cavernous, with cells, or sinuses, giving to it greater 

 apparent volume than the cerebraPcavity' would 

 lead us to infer: we have already alluded to the 

 deceptive volume of the skull of the elephant. 

 According to Professor Owen the dental formula 



is as follows : — Incisors _, canines none, a vacant 

 6 



space being in their place; molars 



7-7, 

 7-7^ 



=38. The 



incisor teeth (see Fig. 49G, the fragment of the an- 

 terior part of the lower jaw, with the teeth in sihi; 

 and Fig. 495, an incisor of the lower jaw) are re- 



markable for their resemblance in many respects to 

 those of the Rodents : they were rootless, and had 

 persistent pulps ; growing, therefore, as worn down 

 by use. In the upper jaw the two central incisors 

 were very small ; the two external ones very large, 

 curved, with their sockets extending back in an 

 arched direction through the intermaxillary bones 

 to the maxillary, and terminating, without becoming 

 contracted, immediately anterior to the grinding 

 teeth. In the lower jaw the two middle incisors are 

 largest, the rest gradually diminishing in size. (Fig. 

 496.) The molar teeth also were rootless, and curved, 

 whence the name Toxodon (r6%ov, a bow, oSovs, 

 a tooth) ; and their grinding surface presented one 

 or more folds of enamel re-entering the osseous sub- 

 slance of the centre, as in Rodents. See Fig. 494, 

 the last molar teeth but one of upper jaw ; Fig. 497, 

 the grinding surface of the same ; Fig. 498, the 

 grinding surface of the corresponding molar of lower 

 jaw. 



We might here enter on many minutiae, and follow 

 Professor Owen through his anatomical details, were 

 it not that they are rather adapted for the close atten- 

 tion of the comparative anatomist than the general 

 reader. Those who wish to gain the fullest information 

 on these points we may refer to the ' Proceeds. Geo!. 

 Soc. Lond.' 1837; and" the 'Zoology of the Beagle : 

 Fossil Mammalia.' We may observe, however, that 

 "in the aspect of the planeof the occipital foramen 

 and occipital region of the skull, in the form and 

 position of the occipital condyles, in the aspect of 

 the plane of the bony aperture of the nostrils, and 

 in the thickness and texture of the osseous parietes 

 of the skull," the Toxodon manifests an affinity to 

 the Dinotherium and the aquatic Pachyderms (the 

 herbivorous Cetacea of Cuvier, but which in man- 

 ners and organization have little relationship to the 

 true whales, excepting as far as they are all modified 

 for the waters of the deep). 



With respect to the limbs of the Toxodon, we have 

 as yet no evidence respecting their form or number ; 

 how far, therefore, they were constructed for aquatic 

 progression, whether for this solely, or for occasional 

 visits to the land, is yet a problem to be solved. 

 Professor Owen, however, suggests that the pre- 

 sence of large frontal sinuses renders it not im- 

 probable that the habits of this species were not 

 so strictly aquatic as the total absence of hinder 

 extremities would necessijate. 



In speaking of the Dinotherium and Toxodon it 

 will be seen that we have referred them, with the 

 Lamantins and Duyongs (often written Dugongs), 

 to the aquatic Pachyderms, between which group 

 and the ordinary Pachyderms we regard the hippo- 

 potamus as forming a link, though decidedly within 

 the pale of the latter. Cuvier has remarked that 

 such of the Pachydermata as approach the Rumi- 

 nants in the structure of their feet partake in some 

 degree of the complication of the stomach which 

 in the animals of the latter order is so remarkable 

 a character ; and it may be said, per contra, that 

 such Pachyderms as approach in a certain degree 

 in habits to the aquatic group resemble them in 

 the structure of the same organ. The stomach of 

 the semi-aquatic hippopotamus, for example, con- 

 sists of certain saccuh, which renders it analogous to 

 that of the lamantin. Sir E. Home observes that 

 " the stomachs of the manatee and hippopotamus 

 bear a close resemblance to each other in structure, 

 and are in many respects similar to that of the 

 peccary, which is a variation of the hogs, to which 

 the tapir is also allied ; and these circumstances 

 throw no small light upon the preparatory processes 

 required for the digestion of different kinds of ve- 

 getable food. The grass of the field is the food of 

 Ruminating animals, and, from the structure of their 

 digestive organs, it is evident that much previous 

 digestion is necessary for its preparation. The 

 grass and weeds at the bottom and on the banks of 

 rivers is the food of the manatee and hippopotamus, 

 and the apparatus formed for preparing these sub- 

 stances displays an approach to the stomachs in 

 Ruminants. In the hog tribe the resemblance is 

 less, those animals having a more indiscriminate 

 diet : the structure of their stomach shows that 

 grass is by no means their natural food. The 

 stomachs of the manatee and hippopotamus, then, 

 which at first sight appear so extraordinary and 

 incomprehensible, are m fact the links which 

 unite the Ruminants to those animals which feed 

 on roots and various vegetable substances, and form 

 a key, Avithout which the different gradations can- 

 not be satisfactorily explained." 



It is not only in the form of the stomach, but in 

 the structure and contour of the skull, the position 

 of the eyes and nostrils, and even in the nature of 

 the skin, with its subcutaneous layer of fat, that we 

 trace the approximation of the hippopotamus to the 

 Lamantins ; and it may be that the Toxodon, and even 

 Dinotherium, form links between the Lamantins and 

 hippopotamus, being within the pale of the group 

 to which the former belong. 



We may here observe, that the number of fossil 



