Part 123

Nor can there be any question to consider the name of Hydrarchos Sillimanni, proposed by Dr KOCH for his so-called fossil sea-serpent, as a synonym of Megophias megophias (RAF.) OUD. (See our Chapter on Hoaxes).

C. Conclusions.

1. COMPARISON WITH ALLIED ANIMALS.

It will be quite superfluous to tell my readers to which order of animals I think that this Megophias megophias belongs. It runs like a red thread through my whole volume, that I firmly believe that it belongs to the Order of Pinnipedia.

More than once I have already shown the relation to this Order, but probably not often enough to convince some headstrong scepticals, or even those who believe in the existence of sea-serpents, but think that they belong to other orders of the Animal Kingdom.

I will first show my readers some drawings and sketches of sea-lions and of a sea-bear.

Fig. 74 represents a sea-lion of the Brighton Aquarium. I think it is a Zalophus californianus (LESS.) ALLEN. We observe that it has a rather pointed, rather blunt snout, with whiskers; that the eyes protrude like those of a toad, that there is a little bunch a little above and behind the eye, that its neck is long in comparison with that of common seals, that in this position the neck is narrower than the head, and the shoulders are visible, that the flappers resemble somewhat those of turtles, that the body is round and slender, and the skin smooth and glittering in the sun, though, in fact, it is hairy and not shining when it is dry.

Fig. 75 shows the same species in another position. The neck is not extended as much as possible, and so the head seems to be as large as the neck; the forehead and nose form nearly a straight line; in the bunch above the eye protruding from the surface we clearly see the heavy eye-brow; the head is held at nearly right angles with the neck, so that the latter gets wrinkles on the throat, which resemble four gills (read gillsplits), or pouches of loose skin. Compare for a moment the left foreflapper with the flappers of a sea-serpent, drawn in figg. 36, 45, and 50. The skin is smooth and shining, though when dry it is hairy and dull.

Fig. 76 is a drawing of Eumetopias Stelleri (LESSON) PETERS, also a sea-lion. This genus is characterized by its considerably vaulted fore head (eu = well developed, metopion = forehead). The skin shows numerous folds or wrinkles, on the throat a fold again forms a distinctly visible “gill”.--The form of the foreflappers resemble those of a turtle. The neck is in comparison with that of seals much longer and as it is not extended as much as possible, it is thicker than the head. The skin is smooth, being wet.

Fig. 77 represents the same species. Here the animal swims with vertical undulations.

Fig. 78 represents the same species with its neck totally contracted so that several wrinkles encircle it, resembling “kinds of scrolls, or tufts of loose skin”, and it seems as if the animal has no neck at all.

Fig. 79 shows us the same species standing nearly upright in the water, with its neck contracted, so that it looks as having no neck, or a neck much larger than the head; the head seen in front is as round as a barrel; the skin is wrinkled. The individual looks at us, as if it would take a view of us.

Fig. 80 is the same individual in the same position but seen from aside. The head is now much longer, the snout neither too pointed, nor too blunt; the head is held at nearly right angles with the neck, forming a “gill” (read gillsplit) by wrinkling the skin on the throat.

Fig. 81 is a drawing of Otaria jubata, quite dry. The head is held at nearly right angles with the neck forming two “gills”. The snout is rather blunt, apparently quadrangular in front. The nostrils are at the end of the snout and wide open, “nearly semicircular valves overarching” them. The eyes are wide open and disproportionately large. The neck in comparison with that of seals is long. The skin is hairy, the hairs of the neck are much longer. This mane begins at the occiput. The form of the flappers is like that of a turtle’s. Compare the form of the foreflappers with that of figg. 36, 45 and 50. The body is round and slender.

Fig. 82 represents a sea-bear, Callorhinus ursinus, quite dry. The little hairy bunch which is visible in the forepart of the back, is the shoulder of the other side. The hairs of the back-line are longer than the others, forming a mane extending all over the neck and back. The reader will see that I have represented this animal with only four toes on both the foreflappers and hindflappers; this is because I give a facsimile of the figure occurring in BREHM’S “Thierleben”.

It is not the place here to give a monograph of Pinnipeds, but to compare the different known characters of the sea-serpents with those of the other of Pinnipeds, and therefore I am obliged to take the same order I have followed above.

Dimensions. At first sight it will be doubted if such an enormous animal can be a pinniped? It is so immensely large in comparison with the known species of this order! Suppose for a moment that whale-bone whales, spermwhales and finwhales were not yet known, and that one of these animals was caught; what would be our astonishment! Suppose that pythons and boas were not yet discovered, and somebody showed us a skin of a python of 26 feet long, I think that the first thought would be “you are a handy fellow, but you will not cheat me with your story!” I will add here some other striking comparisons.

The largest known now living cartilaginous fishes are of 36 (Selache maxima) and of 42 feet (Carcharodon Rondeletii); but a fossil species of the latter genus reached a length of 81 feet (Carcharodon megalodon), and earlier Northern truthful and accurate writers even mention 100 feet as occasional dimension of the Selache maxima, an animal eagerly pursued by the Norwegians for the oil of its liver.

We, who in our latitudes look already with amazement on a salmon of 5 feet length, must be perplexed when seeing for the first time an osseous fish of 10 (Thynnus thynnus), of 15 (Arapaima gigas), or of 20 feet (Regalecus Banksii).

The largest known living Amphibium is 4 feet long (Cryptobranchus), and caused great astonishment, when it was discovered, but fossil Amphibia have been found larger than 15 feet (Mastodonsaurus).

The largest actually measured living Reptile has a length of 30 feet (Crocodilus), but some fossilized reptiles show a length of 38 feet (Hadrosaurus, Ichthyosaurus), 45 feet (Elasmosaurus), 58 feet (Rhamphosuchus), 70 feet (Brontosaurus) nay even of 100 (Liodon) and of 115 feet (Atlantosaurus), and probably many kinds of Reptiles are still longer, the skeletons of which have been dug up only partially!

Whale-bone-whales of 88 feet, sperm whales of 90 feet, and finwhales of 120 feet are occasionally mentioned to have been measured in the foregoing century, but at present such dimensions are not more recorded, because these animals have been so incessantly persecuted for ages!

Well, let us stop here, and say that there are many wonders still hidden in the sea, and that there will be always a chance that of every species of animals individuals will be discovered, still larger than the largest specimen ever measured. If of all Pinnipeds the sea-elephants were hitherto the largest known, this is no more the case: they are surpassed by sea-serpents. If of all known living and fossil animals the Atlantosaurus and the Balaenoptera were hitherto the largest known, this is no more the case: they are surpassed by the Megophias.

Of all Pinnipeds the family of the Auriculata (Eared Seals) has the longest necks. In this particular they are surpassed by sea-serpents.

None of the hitherto known living Pinnipeds has such an enormous tail as the sea-serpent, but the fossil Basilosaurus, an animal more or less allied to the earless seals, has an enormous tail. Of the singular appearance of a family of which some members have immensely long tails, and others are almost wholly without, we have more instances in the animal kingdom. Of the Monkeys the family of the Simiidae have no tails, whilst the other families have generally long tails. Amongst the tailed monkeys we find in one genus species with very long tails, as the Macacus cynamolgos (the Macaque Monkey), and others with very short tails, as the Macacus maurus (Moor Macaque). This difference in the length of the tail is present in all orders of the Quadrupedia.

Form.--The shape of Megophias megophias is exactly that of Zalophus californianus, with a longer neck, and with a tail as long as trunk, neck, and head together. The shape of the head too, in my opinion, more resembles that of Zalophus californianus than that of any other Pinniped. The shape of the neck, the trunk, and the flappers is exactly that of the same portions of the Auriculata, especially in Zalophus californianus, viz: all are slender: “The body is rather slender, and the head is narrow, long, and pointed, and with this slenderness of form is coordinated a corresponding litheness of movement”. (ALLEN, History of North American Pinnipeds, p. 276). It may be that the hindflappers have a form hitherto unknown in Pinnipeds, as we have of the hindflappers neither a description nor any tolerable illustration. The forehead being flat, very much resembles that of Zalophus californianus. The snout or muzzle too, is of all Pinnipeds most resembling that of Zalophus californianus.

All Pinnipeds have whiskers. In some species they are large, as in Callorhinus ursinus, the sea-bear, in other comparatively small, as in Monachus tropicalis GRAY, and in the males of the genus Macrorhinus, and even very small in the Trichecidae.

The eyes of Megophias megophias seem to be comparatively larger than those in other species of Pinnipeds, though Otaria jubata and Phoca foetida are known to have comparatively large eyes. I have nowhere found any remark about the colour of the eye, with regard to its tapetum lucidum, and till now I have had no opportunity to convince myself of the tapetum of Zalophus or Eumetopias being red. But is it not remarkable that Mr. H. W. ELLIOT too asserts of Eumetopias Stelleri: “it has a really leonine appearance and bearing, greatly enhanced by the rich, golden-rufous of its coat, ferocity of expression, and bull-dog-like muzzle and cast of eye”? (ALLEN, Hist. N. Am. Pinn. p. 258).