Extinct Mammalia of Dakota and Nebraska (1869)

Merycoidodon

"On the Extinct Mammalia of Dakota and Nebraska" (1) has been regarded by several leading American paleontologists as the greatest single publication of Leidy's career. In 1923, for example, Henry Fairfield Osborn praised the book by saying it "ranks in breadth and accuracy as the finest single contribution that has been made to vertebrate paleontology in this country if not the world." In 1939, 70 years after its publication, William Berryman Scott noted that it remained "the stable foundation upon which an immense body of subsequent work, by many hands, has been erected."

Procamelus jaw

This 472 page book contains Leidy's definitive account of the remarkable Oligocene mammals from White River Badlands of South Dakota that was introduced in his 1853 monograph, "Ancient Fauna of Nebraska." The book also covers fossils from several other western localities, the most notable of which are the Miocene deposits of the Niobrara River Valley in Nebraska. The book also contains an introduction by Ferdinand V. Hayden on the region's geology. The bulk of the monograph is filled with detailed descriptions and illustrations for 79 mammals.

horse fossil

Featured among these are two creodonts (Hyaenodon crucians and Hyaenodon horridus), a sabertooth (Hoplophoneus primaevus), an early camel (Poebrotherium wilsoni), an oreodont (Merycoidodon culbertsonii), two rhinos (Hyracodon nebraskensis and Subhyradocon occidentalis), and several species of horses. An appendix to the book contains a synopsis (summary) of all of the known American mammal fossils discovered during the previous 150 years.

Anchitherium skull

Leidy previous monograph, "Cretaceous Reptiles of the United States" (1865) was the subject of a particularly savage review by an anonymous critic. The review condemed Leidy's book for its lack of "science". This has generally been interpreted as a reference the monograph's lack of theory and generalization. The review stung him, but Leidy held fast to his belief that he best served science by accurately describing his fossils while others used his work to develop the theories (2). Leidy wrote the following in his preface to "On the Extinct Mammalia of Dakota and Nebraska":

"The present work is intended as a record of facts in paleontology, as the authors have been able to view them: a contribution to the great inventor of nature. No attempt has been made at generalizations or theories which might attract the momentary attention and admiration of the scientific community. We give the premonition at the outset, to prevent disappointment in those who might be expectant of important results than we have obtained from the great amount of material at our command. We have endeavored to see and represent things correctly, nothing more."

Five lithographic plates from "Extinct Mammalia of Dakota and Nebraska" (1869) are presented here:

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Notes:

  1. On the Extinct Mammalian Fauna of Dakota and Nebraska, Including an Account of Some Allied Forms from Other Localities, Together with a Synopsis of the Mammalian Remains of North America. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 1869. Vol 7: 1-472, 30 plates.
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  2. Leidy's reluctance to speculate or theorize was well known and sometimes exasperated many of his colleagues. He was also skeptical of theorizing by others. A conspicuous exception was his endorsement of Darwin's theory of Natural Selection. Leidy realized that Darwin's work was based on the careful analysis of a great body or research.
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