| schema:description | "Desmostylus (Desmostylus hesperus) was first reported by Marsh in 1888 as a sea cow (the Sirenia). As indicated by the taxonomic name Desmostylus (Desmostylia), which derives from the Greek words desmos (bundle) and stylus (pillar), this mammal has distinctive molars that resemble groups of bundled pillars. The specimen discovered in Keton, Sakhalin, was reported as Desmostylus japonicus in 1933 by Professor Takumi Nagao of today’s Hokkaido University. These replicas are copies of skeletal reconstructions of Desmostylus japonicus on land made by three Japanese researchers. The fact that the same specimen resulted in different postures embodies aspects of the scientific history of research on Desmostylus. The prevailing view of recent research is that Desmostylus and other desmostylians lived mostly in the sea.The Ashoro Museum of Paleontology displays replicas of skeletal reconstructions of nine desmostylians, including Ashoroa and Desmostylus....(more)" |
