American Mastodon (Mammut americanum) skeleton from St. Helena Island, South Carolina, USA.  This was a very large grassland herbivore of the Pleistocene Epoch.   This species was the largest of the mammoths and is displayed at the Amherst College Museum of Natural History, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.   It stood approximately 8-10 feet (2.5-3 meters) tall and weighed 4-6 tons (3,500-5,400 kg.).   Here, it is displayed between fossil skeletons of a cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) and a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi).   Photo by Flo Bruehl, October 29, 2006.

Cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) erected skeleton from Rotelstein, Austria.  This was a an omnivore, feeding on herbs, berries, and also honey, and occasionally small animals.   The erected fossilized skeleton and a sketch are displayed at the Amherst College Museum of Natural History, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.   It was a large bear, approximately 30% bigger than the modern Brown Bear.   Here, the fossil skeleton is displayed in front of fossil skeletons of a Mastodon (Mammut americanum) and a Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi).   It lived during the Pleistocene Epoch and became extinct around 10,000 years ago.   Photo by Flo Bruehl, October 29, 2006.

Pleistocene horse (Equus scotti) skeleton from Rock Creek, Texas, USA.   Equus scotti is an extinct horse species that was Native to North America during the Pleistocene Epoch.   It was descended from Old World horses that crossed over the Bering land bridge from the Eurasian continent several million years ago.   The fossil skeleton and sketch are as exhibited at the Amherst College Museum of Natural History, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.   Photo by Flo Bruehl, October 29, 2006.

Triceratops sp. fossil skeleton from Hell Creek, Montana, USA.     Triceratops was a rhinoceros-like herbivore from the Late Cretaceous Period.   It was about 30 feet (9 meters) long, 10 feet (3 meters) tall, and weighed up to 6-12 tons (5,000-11,000 kg.).   The fossil skeleton and sketch are as exhibited at the Amherst College Museum of Natural History, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.   Photo by Flo Bruehl, October 29, 2006.

Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil skull from Hell Creek, Montana, USA.     Tyrannosaurus Rex was a huge carniverous bipedal dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period.   It was up to 40 feet (12.4 meters) long, 15 to 20 feet (4.6-6 meters) tall, and weighed  5-7 tons (4,500-6,400 kg.).   The fossil skull and sketches are as exhibited at the Amherst College Museum of Natural History, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.   Photo by Flo Bruehl, October 29, 2006.