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Show I y$ FAMILY TKEE' . . . First comprehensive study of the Great K bis li n age is being made by University of Nebraska state Sum fru"1 lts collection of buffalo skeletal remains. The large and horns (foreground) arc 500,000 years old and belong to the flppc of bison to roam the Great Plains area. The skull at left is jK yrurs old while the one at right is a 1,000-year-old buffalo, nearly lK.,., as tin present type seen in parks and zoos. Dr. C. . Si hult., jKgrof the museum, is on the left, with VV. D. Frankfortcr, assistant of paleontology, at right. mi horns sewn Traces Tamil) Tree' Shaggy-Haired Plains Bison WNU Features. nCOLN, NEB. The "family tree" of the Great Plains Sis being given its first geologically scientific appraisal ft University of Nebraska state museum. Research com- in the past eight years reveals that ancestors of the ,ftv-hairrd creatures, which in the 19th century numbered K' and drew hunters from 'He world to the plains of Kan-c Kan-c Nebraska, first came to 'Bimerica about 500,000 years ' was when the second of A: big glaciers of the Ice Age Htreating from the northern Plains. ft. B. Schultz, museum direc-ftd direc-ftd W. D. Frankforter, assist-ftator assist-ftator of paleontology of the Hi, report that their studies ft: indicate two unusual ten-H ten-H in evolution of the bison. Hst. the great granddaddy of H all who came to this oon-H oon-H !r"lh Asia was character-H character-H mainly by huge horns H averaged 80 inches from ft tip. But the body of this Hurt', known scientifically HWerbison," was less than Ht taller and a foot longer H the present buffalo. Sin -Hi generations showed I one significant change: the horns. They steadily Hjfk to today's average of 22 Hp ,rom tip to tip. The body HVned nearly the same. Hond, the bison, unlike H prehistoric animals found Horth America such as elc-Hts. elc-Hts. rhinos, horses and ram-Hfirst ram-Hfirst appeared on our con-Ht con-Ht as a large animal and deft' de-ft' 11 n s'ze- University of Nebraska scien-Hiso scien-Hiso believe, on the basis of Ht studies, that the bison popu-Hlus popu-Hlus had its "ups and downs." Hst bison, they say, apparently Hlatively few in numbers since B few scattered skeletal re- ' have been found thus far in j Bt and Nebraska. they increased in numbers Was the climate began warm-Hi warm-Hi and more food was made j Ble to the growing herds. But 20.0 00 years ago a human tion. apparently a race of . migrated from Asia to this Bm. and the numbers of bison ready reduced. These tribes, v'er, suddenly disappeared Vx Great Plains for reasons are still a mystery to scien- After their disappearance, jr, bison herds staged a herds gained steadily in size, fter appearance of the early s m the Great Plains region, th the cuming of the white 'ne bison all but disappeared tae continent. I re,earch work now under ' University of Nebraska is to take at least five more comph te. |
