Lowell Dingus - King of the Dinosaur Hunters: The Life of John Bell Hatcher and the Discoveries that Shaped Paleontology

KING OF THE
DINOSAUR
HUNTERS

The Life of John Bell Hatcher and the
Discoveries that Shaped Paleontology

LOWELL DINGUS

KING OF THE DINOSAUR HUNTERS

Pegasus Books Ltd.
148 W 37th Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10018

Copyright 2018 by Lowell Dingus

First Pegasus Books edition December 2018

Interior design by Maria Fernandez

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-68177-865-5

ISBN: 978-1-68177-930-0 (ebk.)

Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company

Dedicated to the Descendants of John Bell and Anna Matilda Hatcher

Contents

Note: Unless otherwise referenced in the text, generic synonymies are standardized based on the data contained in http://fossilworks.org/

Abderites: Small, rodent-like, frugivorous marsupial

Acaremys: Small, ground-dwelling, herbivorous rodent related to guinea pigs

Acdestis: Small, rodent-like, omnivorous marsupial

Aceratherium: Seven- to eight-foot-long, herbivorous, browsing rhinoceros, weighing about one ton

Achaenodon: Six-foot-long, herbivorous, pig-like entelodont or terror pig, weighing about 500 pounds

Acipenser: Carnivorous sturgeon

Aciprion: Ominovorous lizard related to other iguanas

Acrocyon: Swift, wolf-like, carnivorous marsupial

Adelphomys: Small, ground-dwelling, herbivorous rodent related to guinea pigs

Adinotherium: Five-foot-long, quadrupedal, herbivorous, hippo-like, notoungulate mammal, weighing about 250 pounds

Adjidaumo: Small, ground-dwelling, herbivorous relative of pocket gophers and kangaroo rats

Aelurodon: Large, hyaena-like, bone-crushing dog

Aepycamelus: Ten-foot-tall, ten-foot-long, browsing camel, weighing about a ton

Aetobatis: Marine, eagle ray

Agriochoerus: Clawed, even-toed, herbivorous ungulate

Alethesaurus: Extinct lizard now called Chamops

Aleurocyon: Weasel- or badger-like, carnivorous predator related to weasels and otters

Albanerpeton: Salamander-like amphibian

Allacodon: Small, herbivorous, multituberculate mammal

Allognathosuchus: Extinct, five-foot-long, carnivorous alligator

Allops: Large, herbivorous, odd-toed ungulate now called Megacerops

Allosaurus: Large, bipedal, carnivorous saurischian dinosaur about 2530 feet long and weighing around 2.5 tons

Alphadon: Quick, ground-dwelling, omnivorous marsupial mammal

Alphalagus: Herbivorous rabbit

Amia: Piscivorous bowfin fish

Amphicaeonpus: Browsing rhinoceros

Amynodon: Large, semi-aquatic, hippo-like, browsing, odd-toed ungulate related to rhinoceroses

Analcimorphus: Herbivorous ground sloth

Ancodon: Large, hippo-like, herbivorous, browsing, amphibious, even-toed, ungulate mammal

Ankylodon: Ground-dwelling, insectivorous elephant shrew

Apatosaurus: Long-necked, long-tailed, herbivorous sauropod dinosaur about 70 feet long and weighing 25 tons; now once again called Brontosaurus by some

Aphelops: Moderate-sized, herbivorous, odd-toed rhino, weighing up to three tons

Aramus: Ground-dwelling, two-foot-tall, carnivorous bird or limpkin

Archaeotherium: Large, pig-like, omnivorous, even-toed, hoofed terror pig, three feet tall, six feet long, weighing over 500 pounds

Ardynomys: Ground-dwelling, herbivorous rodent

Aspidertes: Aquatic, carnivorous, soft-shell turtle

Asterostemma: Armored, tank-like, omnivorous mammal called a glyptodont related to armadillos

Astrapothericulus: Hefty, herbivorous ungulate mammal

Astrapotherium: Eight-foot-long, hefty, herbivorous ungulate mammal, weighing around a ton

Astrodon: Long-necked, four-footed, herbivorous, sauropod dinosaur, around 30 feet tall and 50-60 feet long

Aublysodon: Large, carnivorous, bipedal dinosaur, closely related to other tyrannosaurs including Tyrannosaurus

Aulocetus: Carnivorous, suspension-feeding, baleen whale now called Cetotheriopsis

Axestemys: Aquatic, carnivorous or piscivorous, softshell turtle

Baena: Aquatic, carnivorous turtle

Barbourofelis: Lion- to lepoard-sized, saber-toothed, carnivorous predator only distantly related to true cats

Barosaurus: Extremely long-necked, 85-foot-long, herbivorous sauropod dinosaur, weighing about 20 tons

Basilemys: Enormous terrestrial turtle

Bathygenys: Small, even-toed, hoofed, herbivorous, pig-like oreodont, weighing about 15 pounds

Batodon: Small, insectivorous, placental mammal

Belonostomus: Carnivorous, ray-finned fish

Blastomeryx: Herbivorous, even-toed, hoofed, 2.5-foot-long musk deer with enlarged canines, weighing about 35 pounds

Borhyaena: Four- to five-foot-long, swift, wolf-like, carnivorous marsupial, weighing around 50 pounds

Bothriodon: Pig-sized, even-toed, hoofed, hippo-like ungulate

Brachychampsa: Nine-foot-long, amphibious, carnivorous crocodile

Brachyrhyncocyon: Relatively small, ground-dwelling, carnivorous bear dog or amphicyonid

Brontops: Small elephant-sized, rhino-like, horned, odd-toed, hoofed, browsing mammal, 8 feet tall at shoulder, 15 feet long, weighing about 3 tons and now called Megacerops

Brontotherium: Small elephant-sized, rhino-like, horned, odd-toed, hoofed, browsing mammal, 8 feet tall at shoulder, 15 feet long, weighing about 3 tons and now called Megacerops

Bufo: Large, stocky, carnivorous toad

Caenopus: Cow- or tapir-sized herbivorous rhino around 8 feet long, weighing about 800 pounds and now called Subhyracodon

Calamagras: Carnivorous snake related to modern boas

Calyptocephalella: Amphibious, helmeted water toad

Camarasaurus: Stocky, herbivorous sauropod dinosaur about 50 feet long and weighing around 20 tons

Camelomeryx: Deer-like, browsing even-toed ungulate now called Leptoredon

Campestrallomys: Burrowing, herbivorous mountain beaver

Camptomus: Small, multituberculate mammal

Captorhinus: Two- to three-foot-long, lizard-like, carnivorous reptile

Carcharhinus: Requiem shark

Carcharodon: White shark, close relative of modern great white shark, sometimes now called Carcharocles

Caudiverbera: Stout, amphibious frog

Centetodon: Small, shrew-like mammal

Ceratodus: Lungfish

Ceratops: Herbivorous, horned dinosaur

Ceratosaurus: Large, bipedal, carnivorous saurischian dinosaur, about 17 feet long and weighing one to 1.5 tons

Chamops: Polyglyphanodontian lizard

Champosaurus: Five- to 10-foot-long, aquatic, carnivorous reptile resembling a crocodile, although not closely related

Chrysemys: Aquatic, omnivorous painted turtle

Cimolestes: Quick, ground-dwelling, insectivorous placental mammal

Cimolomys: Small, herbivorous, multituberculate mammal

Cimolodon: Small, herbivorous, multituberculate mammal

Cimolomys: Small, herbivorous, multituberculate mammal

Cimolopteryx: Carnivorous shore bird

Cladosictis: Swift, somewhat hyaena-like, carnivorous marsupial