上野科博の化石ファウナ（主に大型草食獣）

次作の制作へ向けた準備をかねて、久しぶりに上野の国立科学博物館に立ち寄りました。週末で閉館時間が通常よりも遅かったのですが、到着が入館締め切りの直前、しかも目的は主に反芻亜目の化石大型種の形態、サイズなどを見てくることだったので、かなり限定的な種類のみ‐主に大型の草食獣‐の撮影にとどまりました。以下に、Deviantartの個人ジャーナルにアップした内容と同じものを記します。大急ぎでスマホでの撮影だったため、画質やクロップが悪く、あまり臨場感の感じられる写真にはなっていないかもしれません。御容赦願います。

 

So I went back again to the Ueno national museum of narure and science, Tokyo to meet some of my favorite specimens exhibited there, this time mainly focusing on extinct ruminants.

Here are some random photos that I'd like to share, smartphone photos that is(hence not good quality, sorry).
I only arrived there at like 7:30 PM and the museum would be closed at 8:00 PM, so I could only get to some very limited mega harbivores, largely omitting carnivores, smaller(but no less interesting) species, marine species and entire dinosaurs(!)

I'll go back there again sometime, so feel free to request for pictures, if you have(there exhibited quite a lot species).

Enjoy.


The great long horned bison(Bison latifrons) with titanic Paraceratherium transouralicum in the background.



The skull of Samotherium sp., a typical Asian sivatherine, close relative of Sivatherium.



Samotherium skull along with Moropus sp. and Bison latifrons.


A lady stands in front of the bison specimen. Keep in mind she was way nearer to the camera. It's difficult to tell but I would say the long horned bison could be 6 foot high, perhaps more at the shoulder.(though ofcourse, I can't be 100 % certain on this... may have been shorter or taller... so please don't take this as a final statement)

These photos don't do the bison justice. It was really tremendously huge by all standards. To get an idea of its scale, below is the tallest ever breeding cattle in the world which is said to have been as tall as 6'4''(1.93m), and that bison was almost exactly like this but more robust all over, probably also longer.

(Image credit to the original owner)



The long horned bison and Camelops sp. side by side. The ancient camel was so tall and towering but the scale of the giant bison completely beat it regarding overall impressiveness.



Majestic Megaloceros giganteum. This was one seriously large deer.



Cave bear specimens. Although both dubbed as Ursus spelaeus, differences in size and shapes between the two skulls are quite apparent. One in front should better be labeled now as Ursus ingressus, just may be



Here's Smilodon fatalis. This is the largest S. fatalis specimen I've ever seen, perhaps comparable to modern Bengal tiger or South African lion in bodily dimensions, meaning, it must have weighed considerably more, due to its skeletal robustness. You can also see Thylacosmilus' skull and some other interesting carnivores around.



Relatively less known South American glyptodontid, Panochthus tuberculata from the Pleistocene Pampean regions. That carapace was enourmous! The glyptodontid was accompanied by Toxodon platensis and moderate sized ground sloth specimens but somehow I missed taking pics of them.



Uintatherium anceps



Giant skull of Brontops sp., one of famous Eocene 'thunder beasts'.
BTW, I didn't take names of smaller species being exhibited around big players, but next time I'll focus more on these small fellows instead.



Very rare frontal view of Arsinoitherium sp.



Also rare frontal view of Deinotherium sp.
(guess you don't see pictures like these so often )

However, the most impressive and frightening skull of all was without doubt, that of gigantic Entelodon!(... though I somehow missed that too)



Arsinoitherium sp. and Mammuthus columbi



Mammuthus columbi(left) and Mammut americanum(right) side by side.



The American mastodon

You can see Mastodon's limb bones and pelvis look proportionally considerably more robust than in the mammoth, its bones are built almost like boulders, what powerful creature it must have been in life.



And lastly, complete skeleton of the extant giraffe.


All photos taken by the Saber Panther ⓒ(All rights reserved)