Depiction of Paleoparadoxia in Native Habitat
The diorama (on the right) shows a
model of a Paleoparadoxia enjoying a tasty mouthful of marsh
grasses while resting on the shore of a sandy lagoon.
The model of the animal is based on the shapes of the preserved bones, in conjunction with our knowledge of the anatomy of similar animals alive today. Such restorations are necessarily somewhat conjectural.
Dr. Charles A. Repenning, a vertebrate paleontologist and marine mammal specialist working for the U.S. Geological Survey, created the restoration from his detailed studies of the fossil skeleton.
The back-handed rest position emphasizes the distinctive feature of the Paleoparadoxia wrist joint. A bony flange at the end of the lower limb bone extends down, preventing the forepaw from swinging up in the forward direction.
This flange prevented the animal from standing "plantigrade" (standing with its weight on the flat of the foot), it could only stand on its toes. This feature was actually an adaptation for swimming and tells us that these animals used their front limbs for the downward power stroke, which pushed the animal through the water. The foot could not flip up while pushing though the water, but could fold back for the return stroke. The full-size skeleton display illustrates this swimming action.
The diorama was made in 1965 by SLAC's model maker, Glenn S. Hughes, using C. A. Repenning's restoration mold for the figure.
