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56-625: Uintatherium ("Beast of the Uinta Mountains ") is an extinct genus of herbivorous dinoceratan mammal that lived during the Eocene epoch. Two species are currently recognized: U. anceps from the United States during the Early to Middle Eocene (56–38 million years ago) and U. insperatus of Middle to Late Eocene (48–34 million years ago) China . Uintatherium was a large browsing animal. With

112-415: A mixture of proteins , polysaccharides , and water. For additional structure or protection, pliant skeletons may be supported by rigid skeletons. Organisms that have pliant skeletons typically live in water, which supports body structure in the absence of a rigid skeleton. Rigid skeletons are not capable of movement when stressed, creating a strong support system most common in terrestrial animals . Such

168-402: A single tail fin as in the pinnipeds (seals). In the whale, the cervical vertebrae are typically fused, an adaptation trading flexibility for stability during swimming. The skeleton consists of both fused and individual bones supported and supplemented by ligaments, tendons, muscles and cartilage. It serves as a scaffold which supports organs, anchors muscles, and protects organs such as

224-819: A skeleton type used by animals that live in water are more for protection (such as barnacle and snail shells) or for fast-moving animals that require additional support of musculature needed for swimming through water. Rigid skeletons are formed from materials including chitin (in arthropods), calcium compounds such as calcium carbonate (in stony corals and mollusks ) and silicate (for diatoms and radiolarians ). Hydrostatic skeletons are flexible cavities within an animal that provide structure through fluid pressure, occurring in some types of soft-bodied organisms , including jellyfish, flatworms , nematodes , and earthworms. The walls of these cavities are made of muscle and connective tissue. In addition to providing structure for an animal's body, hydrostatic skeletons transmit

280-488: A skull 76 cm (30 in) long, 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall at the shoulder, body length of about 4 m (13 ft) and a weight up to 2 tonnes , it was similar to today's rhinoceros , both in size and in shape. Its legs were robust to sustain the weight of the animal and were equipped with hooves. Moreover, a Uintatherium 's sternum was made up of horizontal segments, unlike today's rhinos, which have compressed vertical segments. Its most unusual feature

336-484: A smaller number of bones than other terrestrial vertebrates. Birds also lack teeth or even a true jaw , instead having evolved a beak , which is far more lightweight. The beaks of many baby birds have a projection called an egg tooth , which facilitates their exit from the amniotic egg. The skeleton, which forms the support structure inside the fish is either made of cartilage as in the Chondrichthyes , or bones as in

392-696: Is Mirror Lake because of its good fishing, scenic views, and easy road access. The south and east sides of the range are largely within the Colorado River watershed, including the Blacks Fork and the Duchesne River , which are tributaries of the Green River . The Green is the major tributary of the Colorado River and flows in a tight arc around the eastern side of the range. (Indeed, John Wesley Powell said

448-806: Is a rigid connective tissue that is found in the skeletal systems of vertebrates and invertebrates. The term skeleton comes from Ancient Greek σκελετός ( skeletós )  'dried up'. Sceleton is an archaic form of the word. Skeletons can be defined by several attributes. Solid skeletons consist of hard substances, such as bone , cartilage , or cuticle . These can be further divided by location; internal skeletons are endoskeletons, and external skeletons are exoskeletons. Skeletons may also be defined by rigidity, where pliant skeletons are more elastic than rigid skeletons. Fluid or hydrostatic skeletons do not have hard structures like solid skeletons, instead functioning via pressurized fluids. Hydrostatic skeletons are always internal. An exoskeleton

504-491: Is a type of dense connective tissue , a type of mineralized tissue that gives rigidity and a honeycomb-like three-dimensional internal structure. Bones also produce red and white blood cells and serve as calcium and phosphate storage at the cellular level. Other types of tissue found in bones include bone marrow , endosteum and periosteum , nerves , blood vessels and cartilage. During embryonic development , bones are developed individually from skeletogenic cells in

560-864: Is also on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. A new species was named based on almost intact skull, U. insperatus, found in the lower part of the Lushi Formation of the Lushi Basin in Henan Province, China. Uinta Mountains The name "Uinta" derives from the Ute word Yoov-we-teuh , meaning "pine forest" or "pine tree". The Uinta Mountains are Laramide uplifted metasedimentary rocks deposited in an intracratonic basin in southwest Laurentia during

616-463: Is an external skeleton that covers the body of an animal, serving as armor to protect an animal from predators. Arthropods have exoskeletons that encase their bodies, and have to undergo periodic moulting or ecdysis as the animals grow. The shells of molluscs are another form of exoskeleton. Exoskeletons provide surfaces for the attachment of muscles, and specialized appendanges of the exoskeleton can assist with movement and defense. In arthropods,

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672-414: Is cartilage which in mammals is found mainly in the joint areas. In other animals, such as the cartilaginous fishes , which include the sharks , the skeleton is composed entirely of cartilage . The segmental pattern of the skeleton is present in all vertebrates, with basic units being repeated, such as in the vertebral column and the ribcage. Bones are rigid organs providing structural support for

728-455: Is on the Uintas' southeast flank, on the border between Colorado and Utah. Skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals . There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton , which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton , a rigid internal frame to which the organs and soft tissues attach; and

784-702: Is typical of the central Rocky Mountains. Large grazing and browsing animals include the Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, mountain goats, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Mammalian predators include the American black bear, mountain lion, coyotes, red fox, badger, wolverine, marten, and the long-tailed weasel. A gray wolf pack has been observed at the eastern end of the range, in Moffat County, Colorado. Raptors include bald and golden eagles, turkey vultures, various hawks and harriers, and owls including

840-416: Is used in some invertebrates, for instance in the hinge of bivalve shells or the mesoglea of cnidarians such as jellyfish . Pliant skeletons are beneficial because only muscle contractions are needed to bend the skeleton; upon muscle relaxation, the skeleton will return to its original shape. Cartilage is one material that a pliant skeleton may be composed of, but most pliant skeletons are formed from

896-693: Is wider and shallower than the male pelvis. Female pelvises also have an enlarged pelvic outlet and a wider and more circular pelvic inlet. The angle between the pubic bones is known to be sharper in males, which results in a more circular, narrower, and near heart-shaped pelvis. Invertebrates are defined by a lack of vertebral column, and they do not have bone skeletons. Arthropods have exoskeletons and echinoderms have endoskeletons. Some soft-bodied organisms, such as jellyfish and earthworms , have hydrostatic skeletons. The skeletons of arthropods , including insects , crustaceans , and arachnids , are cuticle exoskeletons. They are composed of chitin secreted by

952-496: The Osteichthyes . The main skeletal element is the vertebral column, composed of articulating vertebrae which are lightweight yet strong. The ribs attach to the spine and there are no limbs or limb girdles. They are supported only by the muscles. The main external features of the fish, the fins , are composed of either bony or soft spines called rays which, with the exception of the caudal fin (tail fin), have no direct connection with

1008-498: The Pacific Ocean , has a shell that is massive in both size and weight. Syrinx aruanus is a species of sea snail with a very large shell. Endoskeletons are the internal support structure of an animal, composed of mineralized tissues , such as the bone skeletons found in most vertebrates. Endoskeletons are highly specialized and vary significantly between animals. They vary in complexity from functioning purely for support (as in

1064-405: The epidermis . The cuticle covers the animal's body and lines several internal organs, including parts of the digestive system. Arthropods molt as they grow through a process of ecdysis , developing a new exoskeleton, digesting part of the previous skeleton, and leaving the remainder behind. An arthropod's skeleton serves many functions, working as an integument to provide a barrier and support

1120-635: The hydroskeleton , a flexible internal structure supported by the hydrostatic pressure of body fluids . Vertebrates are animals with an endoskeleton centered around an axial vertebral column , and their skeletons are typically composed of bones and cartilages . Invertebrates are other animals that lack a vertebral column, and their skeletons vary, including hard-shelled exoskeleton ( arthropods and most molluscs ), plated internal shells (e.g. cuttlebones in some cephalopods ) or rods (e.g. ossicles in echinoderms ), hydrostatically supported body cavities (most), and spicules ( sponges ). Cartilage

1176-474: The ossicles that articulate only with each other. The hyoid bone , which is located in the neck and serves as the point of attachment for the tongue , does not articulate with any other bones in the body, being supported by muscles and ligaments. There are 206 bones in the adult human skeleton, although this number depends on whether the pelvic bones (the hip bones on each side) are counted as one or three bones on each side (ilium, ischium, and pubis), whether

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1232-453: The 65 that is typical in lizards. The skeletons of birds are adapted for flight . The bones in bird skeletons are hollow and lightweight to reduce the metabolic cost of flight. Several attributes of the shape and structure of the bones are optimized to endure the physical stress associated with flight, including a round and thin humeral shaft and the fusion of skeletal elements into single ossifications . Because of this, birds usually have

1288-640: The Eocene beds of Wyoming in the 1870s and 1880s, discovering several partial since skulls and naming several species of uintatheres that are now considered synonyms of U. anceps . Major reassessment came in the 1960s by Walter Wheeler who synonymized and re-described many of the Uintatherium fossils discovered during the 19th century A cast of a Uintatherium skeleton is on display at the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park . The skeleton of Uintatherium

1344-519: The Green was the "master stream" where it and the Colorado River came together.) The Bear and Weber rivers, the two largest tributaries of Great Salt Lake , are born on the west slope of the range. The Provo River , the largest tributary to Utah Lake , begins on the southern side of the range and flows west to Utah Lake, which itself drains via the Jordan River into Great Salt Lake. Large portions of

1400-737: The Moosehorn Lake, Mount Watson, Hades Peak, and Red Shale formations. The flanks of the east-west trending Uinta Mountains contain a sequence of Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata ranging from the Cambrian Lodore Formation to the Cretaceous Mancos Shale , all of which have been tilted during the uplift of the mountain range. The uplift of the range dates to the Laramide orogeny , about 70 to 50 million years ago, when compressive forces produced high-angle reverse faults on both

1456-542: The animal ages. Sea urchins have as many as ten variants of stereome structure. Among extant animals, such skeletons are unique to echinoderms, though similar skeletons were used by some Paleozoic animals. The skeletons of echinoderms are mesodermal , as they are mostly encased by soft tissue. Plates of the skeleton may be interlocked or connected through muscles and ligaments. Skeletal elements in echinoderms are highly specialized and take many forms, though they usually retain some form of symmetry. The spines of sea urchins are

1512-415: The animal's body. The skeletons of sea cucumbers are an exception, having a reduced size to assist in feeding and movement. Echinoderm skeletons are composed of stereom , made up of calcite with a monocrystal structure. They also have a significant magnesium content, forming up to 15% of the skeleton's composition. The stereome structure is porous, and the pores fill with connective stromal tissue as

1568-464: The body, assistance in movement by opposing muscle contraction , and the forming of a protective wall around internal organs. Bones are primarily made of inorganic minerals, such as hydroxyapatite , while the remainder is made of an organic matrix and water. The hollow tubular structure of bones provide considerable resistance against compression while staying lightweight. Most cells in bones are osteoblasts , osteoclasts , or osteocytes . Bone tissue

1624-400: The body, providing appendages for movement and defense, and assisting in sensory perception. Some arthropods, such as crustaceans, absorb biominerals like calcium carbonate from the environment to strengthen the cuticle. The skeletons of echinoderms , such as starfish and sea urchins , are endoskeletons that consist of large, well-developed sclerite plates that adjoin or overlap to cover

1680-434: The brain, lungs , heart and spinal cord . The biggest bone in the body is the femur in the upper leg, and the smallest is the stapes bone in the middle ear . In an adult, the skeleton comprises around 13.1% of the total body weight, and half of this weight is water. Fused bones include those of the pelvis and the cranium . Not all bones are interconnected directly: There are three bones in each middle ear called

1736-448: The case of sponges ), to serving as an attachment site for muscles and a mechanism for transmitting muscular forces. A true endoskeleton is derived from mesodermal tissue. Endoskeletons occur in chordates , echinoderms, all great apes (including humans), and sponges. Pliant skeletons are capable of movement; thus, when stress is applied to the skeletal structure, it deforms and then regains its original shape. This skeletal structure

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1792-418: The coccyx or tail bone is counted as one or four separate bones, and does not count the variable wormian bones between skull sutures. Similarly, the sacrum is usually counted as a single bone, rather than five fused vertebrae. There is also a variable number of small sesamoid bones, commonly found in tendons. The patella or kneecap on each side is an example of a larger sesamoid bone. The patellae are counted in

1848-423: The ectoderm and mesoderm. Most of these cells develop into separate bone, cartilage, and joint cells, and they are then articulated with one another. Specialized skeletal tissues are unique to vertebrates. Cartilage grows more quickly than bone, causing it to be more prominent earlier in an animal's life before it is overtaken by bone. Cartilage is also used in vertebrates to resist stress at points of articulation in

1904-407: The exoskeleton also assists with sensory perception . An external skeleton can be quite heavy in relation to the overall mass of an animal, so on land, organisms that have an exoskeleton are mostly relatively small. Somewhat larger aquatic animals can support an exoskeleton because weight is less of a consideration underwater. The southern giant clam , a species of extremely large saltwater clam in

1960-440: The forces of muscle contraction, allowing an animal to move by alternating contractions and expansions of muscles along the animal's length. The cytoskeleton ( cyto- meaning 'cell' ) is used to stabilize and preserve the form of the cells. It is a dynamic structure that maintains cell shape, protects the cell, enables cellular motion using structures such as flagella , cilia and lamellipodia , and transport within cells such as

2016-488: The great horned owl, great grey owl, and barn owls. Other notable large birds include the sage grouse and white-tailed ptarmigan. The Uintas are home to Camp Steiner , the highest Boy Scout camp in the U.S., at 10,400 feet (3,200 m). The camp is near mile marker 33 of the Mirror Lake Highway. The Uinta Highline Trail traverses the entire range and is a popular backpacking trail. Dinosaur National Monument

2072-666: The high peaks are outcrops of the Uinta Mountain Group. Many of the peaks are ringed with bands of cliffs, rising to form broad or flat tops. The mountains are bounded to the north and south by reverse faults that meet below the range, on the north by the North Flank fault and on the south by the Uinta Basin boundary fault. The Uinta Mountain Group, from oldest to youngest, includes Uinta Mountain undivided quartz arenite , overlain by

2128-439: The largest type of echinoderm skeletal structure. Some molluscs, such as conchs, scallops, and snails, have shells that serve as exoskeletons. They are produced by proteins and minerals secreted from the animal's mantle . The skeleton of sponges consists of microscopic calcareous or siliceous spicules . The demosponges include 90% of all species of sponges. Their "skeletons" are made of spicules consisting of fibers of

2184-411: The last ice age , and most of the large stream valleys on both the north and south sides of the range held long valley glaciers . However, despite reaching to over 13,500 feet (4,110 m) in elevation, the climate today is sufficiently dry that no glaciers survived even before the rapid current glacial retreat began in the middle nineteenth century. The Uintas are the most poleward mountain range in

2240-491: The latter is currently considered separate from Uintatherium . Tinoceras was a new genus made for Titanotherium anceps by Marsh. Several days later, Marsh erected the genus Dinoceras . Dinoceras and Tinoceras would receive several additional species by Marsh throughout the 1870s and 1880s, many based on fragmentary material. Several complete skulls were found by Cope and Marsh crews, leading to theories like Cope's proboscidean assessment. Because of Cope and Marsh's rivalry,

2296-435: The male and female skeletons. The male skeleton, for example, is generally larger and heavier than the female skeleton. In the female skeleton, the bones of the skull are generally less angular. The female skeleton also has wider and shorter breastbone and slimmer wrists. There exist significant differences between the male and female pelvis which are related to the female's pregnancy and childbirth capabilities. The female pelvis

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2352-615: The male's skull bore six knob-like ossicones , which projected 5–25 cm (2.0–9.8 in). Their function is unknown. They may have been used in defense and/or sexual display . Fossils of Uintatherium were first discovered in the Bridger Basin near Fort Bridger by Lieutenant W. N. Wann in September 1870 and were later described as a new species of Titanotherium , Titanotherium anceps , by Othniel Marsh in 1871. The specimen (YPM 11030) only consisted of several skull pieces, including

2408-568: The mountain range receive over 40 inches (100 cm) of precipitation annually. The high Uintas are snowcapped most of the year except for late July through early September. The Uinta Mountains have more than 400 miles (640 km) of streams and 1,000 lakes and ponds. The Uinta Mountains are part of the Wasatch and Uinta montane forests ecoregion . Nearly the entire range lies within Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (on

2464-434: The movement of vesicles and organelles , and plays a role in cellular division. The cytoskeleton is not a skeleton in the sense that it provides the structural system for the body of an animal; rather, it serves a similar function at the cellular level. Vertebrate skeletons are endoskeletons, and the main skeletal component is bone. Bones compose a unique skeletal system for each type of animal. Another important component

2520-697: The north and south sides of the present mountain range. The east-west orientation of the Uintas is anomalous compared to most of the ranges of the Rocky Mountains ; it may relate to changing stress patterns and rotation of the Colorado Plateau . The Green River used to flow into the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico , but changed to the Colorado River by going through the Uintas in ways not fully understood. The high Uintas were extensively glaciated during

2576-521: The north and west) and Ashley National Forest (on the south and east). The range's highest peaks are protected as part of the High Uintas Wilderness . The forests contain many species of trees, including lodgepole pine , subalpine fir , Engelmann spruce , Douglas-fir , and quaking aspen . There are also many species of grasses, shrubs, and forbs growing in the Uinta Mountains. Fauna

2632-658: The protein spongin , the mineral silica , or both. Where spicules of silica are present, they have a different shape from those in the otherwise similar glass sponges . Cartilage is a connective skeletal tissue composed of specialized cells called chondrocytes that in an extracellular matrix . This matrix is typically composed of Type II collagen fibers, proteoglycans , and water. There are many types of cartilage, including elastic cartilage , hyaline cartilage , fibrocartilage , and lipohyaline cartilage. Unlike other connective tissues, cartilage does not contain blood vessels. The chondrocytes are supplied by diffusion, helped by

2688-509: The right parietal horn, and fragmentary postcrania. The following year, Marsh and Joseph Leidy collected in the Eocene Beds near Fort Bridger while Edward Cope, Marsh's competitor, excavated in the Washakie Basin. In August 1872, Leidy named Uintatherium robustum based on a posterior skull and partial mandibles (ANSP 12607). Another specimen discovered by Leidy's crews consisting of a canine

2744-459: The skeleton. Cartilage in vertebrates is usually encased in perichondrium tissue. Ligaments are elastic tissues that connect bones to other bones, and tendons are elastic tissues that connect muscles to bones. The skeletons of turtles have evolved to develop a shell from the ribcage, forming an exoskeleton. The skeletons of snakes and caecilians have significantly more vertebrae than other animals. Snakes often have over 300, compared to

2800-431: The spine. They are supported by the muscles which compose the main part of the trunk. Cartilaginous fish, such as sharks, rays, skates, and chimeras, have skeletons made entirely of cartilage. The lighter weight of cartilage allows these fish to expend less energy when swimming. To facilitate the movement of marine mammals in water, the hind legs were either lost altogether, as in the whales and manatees , or united in

2856-470: The time of the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia . The marine and fluvial metasedimentary rocks in the core of the Uinta Mountains are of Neoproterozoic age (between about 700 million and 760 million years old) and consist primarily of quartzite , slate , and shale . These rocks comprise the Uinta Mountain Group , and reach thicknesses of 13,000 to 24,000 feet (4.0 to 7.3 km). Most of

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2912-460: The total, as they are constant. The number of bones varies between individuals and with age – newborn babies have over 270 bones some of which fuse together. These bones are organized into a longitudinal axis, the axial skeleton , to which the appendicular skeleton is attached. The human skeleton takes 20 years before it is fully developed, and the bones contain marrow , which produces blood cells. There exist several general differences between

2968-521: The two would often publish scathing criticisms of each other's work, stating their respective genera were valid. The trio would name 25 species now considered synonymous with Marsh's original species, Titanotherium anceps , which was placed in Leidy's genus, Uintatherium . Many additional discoveries of Uintatherium have since occurred, making Uintatherium one of the best-known and popular American fossil mammals. Princeton University launched expeditions to

3024-404: The world to reach over 13,000 feet (4,000 m) without modern glaciers, and are in fact the highest mountain range in the contiguous United States with no modern glaciers. Permafrost occurs at elevations above 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and at times forms large rock glaciers . Between the summits and ridgelines are wide, level basins with around 500 small lakes. One of the most popular lakes

3080-472: Was named Uintamastix atrox and was thought to have been a saber-toothed and carnivorous. Eighteen days after the description of Uintatherium , Cope and Marsh both named new genera of Uinta dinoceratans , Cope naming Loxolophodon in his "garbled" telegram and Marsh dubbed Tinoceras . Due to Uintatherium being named first, Cope and Marsh's genera are synonymous with Uintatherium . Cope described two genera in his telegram, Loxolophodon and Eobasileus ;

3136-575: Was the skull , which was large and strongly built, but simultaneously flat and concave: this feature is rare and is found in no other known mammal except some brontotheres . The cranial cavity was exceptionally small because the walls of the cranium were exceedingly thick. The cranium was lightened by several sinuses , like those in an elephant 's skull. The teeth were larger in males than in females . The upper canine teeth were large and may have been formidable defensive weapons; superficially, they resembled those of saber-toothed cats . The front of

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