Its skin was covered with small
raised scales, pentagonal in form on the body and tail, where they
were largest, with smaller reticulations over the joints but never
overlapping as in snakes or fishes. A Trachodon skeleton was recently
found with an impression of the skin surrounding the vertebrae which
is so well preserved that it gives even the contour of the tail as is
shown in the illustration (fig. 32).
"During the existence of the Trachodonts the climate of the northern
part of North America was much warmer than it is at present, the plant
remains indicating a climate for Wyoming and Montana similar to what
now prevails in Southern California. Palm leaves resembling the
palmetto of Florida are frequently found in the same rocks with these
skeletons. Here occur also such, at present, widely separated trees as
the gingko now native of China, and the Sequoia now native of the
Pacific Coast. Fruits and leaves of the fig tree are also common, but
most abundant among the plant remains are the Equisetae or horsetail
rushes, some species of which possibly supplied the Trachodons with
food.
[Illustration: Fig. 29.--Restoration of the Duck-billed Dinosaur
Trachodon. This restoration, made by Mr. Knight under supervision
of Professor Osborn, embodies the latest evidence as to the
structure and characteristic poses of these animals, the character
of the skin and their probable habits and environment. _After
Osborn_]
"Impressions of the more common plants found in the rocks of this
period with sections of the tree trunks showing the woody structure
will be [have been] introduced into the group as the ground on which
the skeletons stand.
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