@prefix aiiso: . @prefix cc: . @prefix dc1: . @prefix dcat: . @prefix foaf: . @prefix org1: . @prefix owl: . @prefix skos: . @prefix tdwgi: . @prefix vcard: . @prefix void: . @prefix xsd: . a void:DatasetDescription ; cc:license ; foaf:primaryTopic . a aiiso:Institution, org1:Organization, foaf:Organization ; tdwgi:acronymOrCoden "NHMUK" ; tdwgi:institutionType ; owl:sameAs , ; foaf:name "Natural History Museum" . a dcat:Dataset ; dc1:creator [ a vcard:Person ; vcard:fn "Philippa Brewer; Kaitlyn Burton; Adrian Lister; Jennifer Pullar; Amy Scott-Murray; Lorna Steel; Emily Keeble; Richard Fariña; Sebastián Tambusso; Luciano Varela; Mauro Muyano" ] ; dc1:identifier <10.5519/0086786> ; dc1:issued "2018-04-02T22:15:13.120985"^^xsd:dateTime ; dc1:license ; dc1:modified "2026-08-25T08:40:58.066923"^^xsd:dateTime ; dc1:title "Darwin's Fossil Mammals" ; dcat:contactPoint ; dcat:description """[![A thumbnail image of the Toxodon cranium model on Sketchfab](/images/toxodon.gif)](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/skull-of-toxodon-platensis-0b6b3144b32d4467969ba6e56670d896)\r \r [View and interact with this _Toxodon_ cranium model on Sketchfab](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/skull-of-toxodon-platensis-0b6b3144b32d4467969ba6e56670d896)\r \r 3D scans of fossil mammal specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle. \r \r Scanning, documentation and conservation of the specimens has been possible due to the generous support of The Hartnett Conservation Trust, The Leche Trust, The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust and an anonymous donor. Scanning was done by Kate Burton using the Faro Edge laser scanner and the scans were processed using Geomagic Wrap software. Specimens and context data were provided by Phillipa Brewer and Adrian Lister. For access to high resolution scans of these specimens please [contact us](mailto:fossilmammalcollections@nhm.ac.uk).\r \r Our project page is http://www.nhm.ac.uk/darwinsfossils""" ; dcat:distribution , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ; dcat:keyword "3d", "3d scans", "adrian lister", "argentina", "arroyo tapas", "bahia blanca", "bajada de santa fe", "bajada grande", "beagle", "carcarañá", "charles darwin", "cranium", "entre ríos", "fossil mammals", "holocene", "holotype", "hsds heritage science", "incisor", "jaw", "mammals", "mandible", "megatherium", "molar", "palaeontology", "paraná", "pleistocene", "punta alta", "rio tercero", "sarandis", "skull", "todoxon platensis", "tooth", "toxodon", "uruguay", "voyage of the beagle" ; dcat:landingPage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ; dcat:theme [ a skos:Concept ; skos:prefLabel "Collections" ] . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16589\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/838336aa-9e36-428a-b354-19db88126ec8\r \r **Taxon**: _Megatherium americanum_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of the cranium (posterior part of right zygomatic arch)\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene to early Holocene (between 126,000 and 8,000 years old)\r \r **Collection**: Collected between September and October 1832 or between August and September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: This is a fragment of the right cheek bone. It was first attributed to Charles Darwin in the Royal College of Surgeons 1845 catalogue.\r \r [What is _Megatherium_?](http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html)""" ; dc1:title "Megatherium americanum - skull fragment" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 102046a\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/d6d24f51-cf94-4380-96c9-1505e7ec74fb\r \r **Taxon**: _Toxodon platensis_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of lower jaw (with matrix) with fragment of the enamel from the last molar tooth (right m3)\r \r **Site**: Based on preservation, this probably came from Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Probably found between September and October 1832 or between August and September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: This specimen has been associated with the other Darwin specimens in the collection since at least 1884 and is probably part of Darwin’s collection. This is almost certainly from the same tooth as [NHMUK PV M 102046b](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/2bac8e07-9eda-4f4f-ad33-77663e585e24).\r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.""" ; dc1:title "Toxodon platensis - fragment of lower jaw" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """ **Specimen number:** PV M 16558 b **Specimen link:** https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/bb67eb63-c766-4545-9a1e-42ce885cfef6 **Taxon:** _Equus neogeus_ **Description:** Upper molar tooth in 2 parts **Site:** Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina **Age:** Late Pleistocene (between 129,000 and 11,700 years old) **Collection:** Collected in 1832 or 1833 by Charles Darwin **Comments:** Darwin and his servant, Syms Covington, spent many hours collecting fossils and matrix at Puta Alta in 1832 and 1833. The material they collected was shipped back to England and prepared at the Royal College of Surgeons. It was whilst preparing the collected rocks that this horse tooth was found embedded in the gravel matrix. _…it [the specimen] was embedded in the quartz shingle, formed of pebbles strongly cemented together with calcareous matter, which adhered as closely to the tooth in question, as the corresponding matrix did to the associated fossil remains. The tooth was as completely fossilized as the remains of the Mylodon, Megatherium, and Scelidothere; and was so far decomposed, that in the attempt to detach the adherent matrix, it became partially resolved into its component curved lamellae._ **-- _Owen, R. 1838-1840._ Part I. Fossil Mammalia. In Darwin, C. R. (ed.), The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832-1836. Smith Elder and Co., London. Pages 108-109*.** This specimen is one of two fossil horse teeth found by Darwin on his voyage and belong to the extinct species, _Equus neogeus_, which was widespread in South America during the Late Pleistocene. """ ; dc1:title "Equus neogeus – tooth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number:** PV M 16557\r \r **Specimen link:** https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/f4474348-cb44-4063-9cf8-315835dfd922\r \r **Taxon:** _Mylodon darwinii_\r \r **Description:** Cast of part of lower jaw\r \r **Site:** The original specimen was collected at Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age:** The original specimen was Late Pleistocene in age (between 129,000 and 11,700 years old)\r \r **Collection:** The original specimen was collected in September to October 1832 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments:** This is a cast of the holotype mandible of _Mylodon darwinii_ (PV M 16563) and was made at the Royal College of Surgeons. It is not clear when the cast was made, but probably on or before 1887 (when it was entered into the accession register). The cast is of the right side of the original specimen and shows the original prior to some damage to the back of jaw.\r """ ; dc1:title "Mylodon darwinii – cast of part of lower jaw" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16563a\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/e37e3be9-33a2-4ad8-882c-175630bfbb92\r \r **Taxon**: _Mylodon darwinii_\r \r **Description**: Lower jaw showing four molariform teeth on both right and left sides\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene (between 126,000 and 11,700 years old)\r \r **Collection**: Collected September to October 1832 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments**: In September-October 1832, Darwin spent many days excavating fossils from a beach deposit at Punta Alta in Argentina. \r \r _…We staid sometime on Punta Alta about 10 miles from the ship; here I found some rocks.— These are the first I have seen, & are very interesting from containing numerous shells & the bones of large animals..._\r \r *** -- Keynes, R. D. 2001. Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Page 106. ***\r \r _…I have been very lucky with fossil bones; I have fragments of at least 6 distinct animals; as many of them are teeth I trust, shattered & rolled as they have been, they will be recognised. I have paid all the attention, I am capable of, to their geological site… 3d The lower jaw of some large animal, which from the molar teeth, I should think belonged to the Edentata…_\r \r *** -- Darwin, C. R. 24/11/1832. Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 192” http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/DCP-LETT-192 ***\r \r The final sentence (above) probably refers to this lower jaw specimen and shows that Darwin identified it as belonging to the group containing sloths. Edentata is an obsolete term which was used for grouping sloths, armadillos, anteaters, pangolins and aardvarks together. However, the latter two are no longer considered closely related to the others and so the term is no longer used.\r """ ; dc1:title "Mylodon darwinii - lower jaw" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 100017\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/dc4d2254-9ba1-4d30-b3af-b888f2b36434\r \r **Taxon**: _Diprotodon optatum_\r \r **Description**: Left upper first incisor (I1)\r \r **Site**: Australia\r \r **Age**: Pleistocene i.e., between 2.6 million years old and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Unknown (before 1884)\r \r **Comments**: This specimen was listed as an incisor (front tooth) of _Toxodon platensis_ in the 1884 Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) catalogue and retained that identification until 2018 when Jerry Hooker and Pip Brewer from the Natural History Museum reassigned it. Presumably this specimen was located with other Darwin specimens (possibly to compare it with) at the RCS when the catalogue was being made and the specimen was incorrectly assumed to have been collected by Darwin. \r \r Like _Toxodon_ teeth, this tooth was hypselodont (also called euhypsodont), which means that unlike human teeth, it continued to grow throughout the life of the animal. This is an adaptation to high rates of tooth wear and is seen in other herbivorous (plant eating) mammals such as rabbits.\r \r _Diprotodon optatum_ was the largest Australian marsupial ('pouched' mammal) to have lived. It would have stood up to 2 m high at the shoulder and was up to 3 m in length. It was the first fossil mammal from Australia to have been described by Richard Owen, who also described and named the other fossil mammal specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.""" ; dc1:title "Diprotodon optatum - Left upper first incisor" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number:** NHMUK PV M 82206\r \r **Specimen links:**\r \r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/abbd1909-5df8-4b71-8123-7fb55f48c906\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/2b139c6c-ec6f-4862-913a-6711a14bff35\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/e8d47831-948a-4301-a99c-7c271fb2faa6\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/95149f7d-40c6-4d8b-a567-26a10596d698\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/14c9d268-7ca1-43f8-8d1e-9dcde99df968\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/18a8e868-fba6-4a69-a23f-c66a2e541658\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/1cdf097b-9ac7-4dc0-88ce-0de1e0d41ea1\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/7bd52697-6604-4cb9-8947-1434460162a9\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/2632d477-8de7-44ba-96ba-9445711c7555\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/a4aada80-d53e-4150-8f97-c2612a9920ca\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/8593ee87-93c3-4bb0-b29e-834ebbc1db98\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/4d6cd810-71ba-4f0a-b207-578ac9c73579\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/355243af-8e03-4db0-89aa-4c15b6143908\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/363a693a-a92b-408e-8edd-c57b371707d4\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/4183f993-8148-4972-9fde-04c1df567fcd\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/95f29b03-7d7f-4e3b-84bb-39d76c1e1406\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/062885b8-4cd0-44c4-8f73-e7d9327cb399\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/32fa7ca0-5656-4795-a514-5b59565aa057\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/461dbc0c-b817-4cf0-8dfc-26ae14c743a7\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/4a589b39-1a2f-49f6-a4ea-c3a1125abc95\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/14b63a19-88d2-4500-96ff-32a2d9b08873\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/1fbc6606-41dd-43f9-b418-302c58725481\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/50072cb4-6c86-4090-914d-632f44c3b070\r \r **Taxon:** _Scelidotherium leptocephalum_\r \r **Description:** Partial skeleton (including casts of original specimens which no longer exist)\r \r **Site:** Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina\r \r **Age:** Late Pleistocene (between 129,000 and 11,700 years old)\r \r **Collection:** Collected on 1st September 1833 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments:** This partial skeleton was found embedded in a block of sandstone which had come loose from the cliff. Parts of the skeleton were still preserved in life position and Darwin speculated that much of the soft tissue must have been present when the animal was buried. Darwin was particularly interested to see that the shells adhering to the block were the same species he had observed currently living in that same bay. This impressed upon Darwin that the bones themselves were relatively recent in age. We now know that this animal became extinct less than 12,000 years ago. The skeleton was a completely new species of ground sloth, called _Scelidotherium leptocephalum_.\r \r _In the case of the Scelidotherium, it is quite certain that the whole skeleton was held together by its ligaments, when deposited in the gravel in which I found it._\r \r **-- Darwin, C. R. 1846. Geological observations on South America. Being the third part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832 to 1836. Smith Elder and Co, London. Page 85.**\r \r _… the most perfect skeleton … must have been washed entire to near the place where found. & therefore a very modern animal coeval with present shells … the different parts of skeleton were going nearly in their proper part of position … & the whole mass broke from some part of the cliff or bed & left where it now stands_\r \r **-- Darwin, C. 1833. Geological Diary. Transcribed by Kees Rookmaaker, edited by John van Wyhe (_Darwin Online_, ). Bahia Blanca. (appendix) (1833) CUL-DAR32.74. **\r \r \r The video shows casts of the skeleton made prior to its preparation from matrix superimposed on a drawing of the skeleton from the publication first describing it (Owen 1838-1840). The casts then move into anatomical position and the original bones of the skeleton which survived the WWII bombing are shown in pink. Finally, a reconstruction of the animal as it would have been in life is revealed.\r """ ; dc1:title "Scelidotherium leptocephalum – partial skeleton" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number:** PV M 16557\r \r **Specimen link:** https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/d99da87a-a531-4333-b244-2c348fa2ec39\r \r **Taxon:** _Mylodon darwinii_\r \r **Description:** Cast of part of lower jaw\r \r **Site:** The original specimen was collected at Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age:** The original specimen was Late Pleistocene in age (between 129,000 and 11,700 years old)\r \r **Collection:** The original specimen was collected in September to October 1832 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments:** This is a cast of the holotype mandible of _Mylodon darwinii_ (PV M 16563) and was made at the Royal College of Surgeons. It is not clear when the cast was made, but probably on or before 1887 (when it was entered into the accession register). The cast is of the right side of the original specimen and shows the original prior to some damage to the back of jaw.""" ; dc1:title "Equus neogeus – tooth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 102046b\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/84aea512-fb87-405b-9140-29226097db0c\r \r **Taxon**: _Toxodon platensis_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of a molar tooth from the lower jaw (lingual enamel of right lower m3)\r \r **Site**: Based on preservation, this probably came from Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Probably found between September and October 1832 or between August and September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: This specimen has been associated with the other Darwin specimens in the collection since at least 1884 and is probably part of Darwin’s collection. This is almost certainly from the same tooth as [NHMUK PV M 102046a](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/0546a107-71f4-42d2-85d8-74b8185cb642).\r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.""" ; dc1:title "Toxodon platensis - fragment of a molar tooth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 100016\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/34d2e921-01b5-40b7-8762-4269fac3c63d\r \r **Taxon**: _Toxodon platensis_\r \r **Description**: Mostly complete left upper molar tooth (M3) in two fragments\r \r **Site**: Cliff section, Arroyo Tapas, near Bajada Grande, Paraná city, Entre Ríos Province, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Between 29,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Found on 10th October 1833 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments**: This broken tooth was fragile at the time it was recovered by Charles Darwin, now it is even more so. The specimen is in two parts and cannot be handled without great risk of further damage. By scanning the fragments we are able to digitally reconstruct the tooth without risk to the specimen. _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.\r \r _At the A. Tapas, which enters the Conchitas, 2 miles from the town, I visited some broken cliffs, where a few years previously bones & part of the (Megatherium) case had been found…In every part however of the cliffs, on the borders of the streamlets, there are very numerous fragments of bones…They were however so very soft & decomposed I could scarcely extract even so small a fragment._\r \r *** -- Darwin, Charles, R. 1832-1836. Geological Diary. Transcribed by Kees Rookmaaker, edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/).***""" ; dc1:title "Toxodon platensis - left upper molar tooth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16568\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/a70b33cc-d827-4b3f-b411-94bba23e0801\r \r **Taxon**: Unknown\r \r **Description**: Fragment of tooth\r \r **Site**: Unknown\r \r **Age**: Unknown\r \r **Collection**: Unknown\r \r **Comments**: This specimen was physically associated with the other Darwin specimens in the collection. Where did it come from? Is/was it part of a Darwin specimen or has it been wrongly associated over time? """ ; dc1:title "Unknown - fragment of tooth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:format "XLSX" ; dc1:title "Darwin Fossils Spreadsheet" ; dcat:accessURL ; dcat:byteSize 35522.0 ; dcat:mediaType "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet" . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16588\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/c991662b-55b2-4674-897f-34ff095d4859\r \r **Taxon**: _Megatherium americanum_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of the right maxilla with the 2nd and 3rd molariforms\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene to early Holocene (between 126,000 and 8,000 years old)\r \r **Collection**: Collected between September and October 1832 or between August and September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: This specimen has been cut in two at some point in the past to produce a horizontal section of the teeth. It is not clear when the section was made, although the section is mentioned in the Royal College of Surgeons 1884 catalogue. This 3D model is a combination of both parts of the specimen and has been digitally reconstructed. Rock matrix still partially encases the specimen and is typical of other specimens from this site.\r \r [What is _Megatherium_?](http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html)""" ; dc1:title "Megatherium americanum - skull fragment with teeth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number:** NHMUK PV M 16587a and NHMUK PV M 16587b\r \r **Specimen link:**\r - https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/0c356087-e2c1-44a6-b4fd-9f3d24787e1a\r - https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/d639dd90-e386-4d7c-9e41-f14aefaf0562\r \r **Taxon:** _Mylodon darwinii_\r \r **Description:** Fragment of lower jaw with a section showing the teeth\r \r **Site:** Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age:** Late Pleistocene (between 129,000 and 11,700 years old)\r \r **Collection:** Collected in 1832 or 1833 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments:** This specimen was not described by Richard Owen at the same time of the holotype mandible (PV M 16563); however, it was included in the 1845 catalogue of specimens in the Royal College of Surgeons (where it was kept until it was donated to this museum in 1947). It is possible that this jaw was still encased in matrix at the time of the original publication. Much of the original gravel matrix is still present on the specimen.\r """ ; dc1:title "Mylodon darwinii – lower jaw fragment (in two pieces)" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 102042\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/b0c35e23-66d4-46b7-8722-458d572216c4\r \r **Taxon**: Unknown but probably _Toxodon_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of lower jaw with matrix attached\r \r **Site**: Based on preservation, this probably came from Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Probably found between September and October 1832 or between August and September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: This specimen was associated in the collection with one of the lower jaws of _Toxodon_ found at Punta Alta (specimen number [NHMUK PV M 16566](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/f53623fc-0b45-41be-b65b-df4d24a59f3a)) and the preservation is very similar. It is possible it is part of the same specimen as the lower jaw, although there is no obvious join between the two.\r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.""" ; dc1:title "Likely Toxodon - fragment of lower jaw" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16588b\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/c991662b-55b2-4674-897f-34ff095d4859\r \r **Taxon**: _Megatherium americanum_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of the right maxilla with the 2nd and 3rd molariforms\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene to early Holocene (between 126,000 and 8,000 years old)\r \r **Collection**: Collected between September and October 1832 or between August and September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: This specimen has been cut in two at some point in the past to produce a horizontal section of the teeth. It is not clear when the section was made, although the section is mentioned in the Royal College of Surgeons 1884 catalogue. The other section is catalogued at [NHMUK PV M 16588a](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/ee6cb27e-e8ac-44dd-af5d-91b773dde529). Rock matrix still partially encases the specimen and is typical of other specimens from this site.\r \r [What is _Megatherium_?](http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html)""" ; dc1:title "Megatherium americanum - skull fragment with teeth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number:** PV M 16586\r \r **Specimen link:** https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/3e81c21f-721c-47a8-94c6-9bba0e493d36\r \r **Taxon:** _Glossotherium robustum_\r \r **Description:** Fragment from back of skull\r \r **Site:** Probably found in “valley of the Sarandis”, south of Mercedes, Uruguay\r \r **Age:** Approximately 12,700 years old\r \r **Collection:** Acquired by Charles Darwin on 26/11/1833\r \r **Comments:** This back part of the skull is from an extinct giant ground sloth called _Glossotherium_. _Glossotherium_ means tongue-beast as Richard Owen, who first described the specimen, reconstructed it as having a long tongue. Owen noticed some similarities between this specimen and the skulls of other ant-eating mammals such as pangolins and speculated that _Glossotherium_ must have had a similar diet. It is now accepted that _Glossotherium_ primarily ate vegetation, including grasses.\r \r It is not clear whether Darwin acquired this specimen at the same time as the iconic _Toxodon_ skull (NHMUK PV M 16560) from an Estancia or whether he visited a stream bed and found it himself. Excitingly Darwin noticed how well the specimen was preserved.\r \r _NOVEMBER 26TH.—I set out on my return in a direct line for Monte Video. Having heard of some giant's bones at a neighbouring farm-house on the Sarandis … The people at the farm-house told me that the remains were exposed, by a flood having washed down part of a bank of earth. Near the Toxodon I found the fragments of the head of an animal... The head of this animal … appear so fresh, that it is difficult to believe they have lain buried for ages under ground. The bone contains so much animal matter, that when heated in the flame of a spirit-lamp, it not only exhales a very strong animal odour, but likewise burns with a slight flame._\r \r **-- _Darwin, C. 1839._ Narratives of the surveying voyages of His Majesty’s ships Adventure and Beagle between the years 1826 and 1836, describing their examination of the southern shores of South America and the Beagle’s circumnavigation of the globe. In three volumes. Colburn, London. Short title: Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle. [1st ed.]. Volume III. Journal and remarks 1832-1836. Pages 180-182.**\r \r In fact there was enough protein (“animal matter”) preserved that we were able to radiocarbon date this specimen nearly 200 years after its discovery. By using a small portion of the bone which had broken away, we were able to determine that this animal died around 12,700 years ago. This is very close to the date when this animal went extinct (probably around 12,000 years ago).\r """ ; dc1:title "Glossotherium – back of skull" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16564\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/8616654e-ebcb-4007-9f69-d2b9df49dbc3\r \r **Taxon**: _Toxodon_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of left side of lower jaw with 5 cheek teeth (partial p2-3 and m1-3)\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: September or October 1832 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: When describing this jaw in 1838-1840, Richard Owen was unsure whether to allocate this to the same species as the cranium found in Uruguay (specimen number [NHMUK PV M 16560](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/dadf577f-fa52-4f48-8cdb-d11c98448009)). He assumed that this jaw fragment was from the same animal as a fragment from the right side of the jaw found at the same site (specimen number [NHMUK PV M 16566](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/f53623fc-0b45-41be-b65b-df4d24a59f3a)). It is not clear whether this decision was based on the circumstances of its discovery (e.g., information passed on from Darwin) or whether it was based on the similarity in size of the two specimens.\r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.""" ; dc1:title "Toxodon - left side of lower jaw - fragment" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 102041\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/927e02a7-b707-4617-926b-36609468a3c7\r \r **Taxon**: Unknown but probably _Toxodon_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of lower jaw with matrix attached\r \r **Site**: Based on preservation, this probably came from Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Probably found between September and October 1832 or between August and September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: This specimen was associated in the collection with one of the lower jaws of _Toxodon_ found at Punta Alta (specimen number [NHMUK PV M 16566](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/f53623fc-0b45-41be-b65b-df4d24a59f3a)) and the preservation is very similar. It is possible it is part of the same specimen as the lower jaw, although there is no obvious join between the two.\r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.""" ; dc1:title "Likely Toxodon - lower jaw fragment" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 102043\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/3d3ca85d-db0e-46e1-b14b-c1b99f3011b7\r \r **Taxon**: Unknown\r \r **Description**: Fragment of two teeth in jaw with matrix\r \r **Site**: Based on preservation, this probably came from Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Probably found between September and October 1832 or between August and September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: This specimen has been associated with the other Darwin specimens in the collection since at least 1884 and is probably part of Darwin’s collection. The preservation is very similar to other specimens from Punta Alta, particularly the lower jaw of _Toxodon_ (specimen number [NHMUK PV M 16566](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/f53623fc-0b45-41be-b65b-df4d24a59f3a)). \r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.""" ; dc1:title "Unknown - fragment of two teeth in jaw with matrix" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 102047\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/1e77458e-cd16-47ef-a253-51f73db1fae1\r \r **Taxon**: Unknown\r \r **Description**: Fragment of bone (probably the lower jaw)\r \r **Site**: Unknown\r \r **Age**: Unknown\r \r **Collection**: Unknown\r \r **Comments**: This specimen has been associated with the other Darwin specimens in the collection since at least 1884 and is probably part of Darwin’s collection. It may belong with the partial lower molar tooth of _Toxodon_ from Punta Alta ([NHMUK PV M 102042](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/80c5c66b-bf6d-40cb-b591-cb7044957213)).\r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.""" ; dc1:title "Unknown - fragment of bone" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: RCSHM/CO 3443 and ENGH: 88202309\r \r **Specimen Link**: [RCSHM/CO 3443](http://surgicat.rcseng.ac.uk/Details/collect/6095)\r \r **Taxon**: _Megatherium americanum_\r \r **Description**: Partial cranium with five molariforms preserved on right and left sides. The specimen has been sectioned horizontally on the left side, and vertically on the right side. Two fragments remain and are part of the collections at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSHM/CO 3443) and Down House, property of English Heritage (ENGH: 88202309). This is a digital reconstruction of both fragments together.\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene to early Holocene (between 126,000 and 8,000 years old)\r \r **Collection**: Collected on 23rd September 1832 by Charles Darwin \r \r **Comments**: This specimen was found at Punta Alta, where the majority of the fossil mammal specimens collected by Darwin were found. The site is now buried underneath Puerto Belgrano naval base. On his second day at Punta Alta, whilst searching for fossils, Darwin notes:\r \r _Sunday 23rd … I walked on to Punta alta to look after fossils; & to my great joy I found the head of some large animal, imbedded in a soft rock. - It took me nearly 3 hours to get it out: As far as I am able to judge, it is allied to the Rhinoceros. - I did not get it on board till some hours after it was dark._\r \r *** --Keynes, R. D. 1988. Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Page 107.***\r \r After it was sent to the Royal College of Surgeons, this partial skull was sectioned horizontally and vertically. The main section forms part of the collection at the Royal College of Surgeons. The vertical section (showing the teeth on the right side of the skull) now forms part of the collection at Down House (English Heritage), Darwin’s former home. The horizontal section no longer exists. The 3D model is a digital reconstruction of the two existing parts together.\r \r By sectioning the specimen, it was possible to clearly see the number of teeth in the jaw, their shape and structure and to make thin sections of them. It was through doing this that Richard Owen, who described the specimens, was able to determine that _M. americanum_ actually had 5 teeth in its upper jaw, not 4 as had previously been described. He was also able to show that its teeth had no enamel on them, unlike our own teeth and that they were able to form sharp cutting ridges. These blades were formed as a result of the presence of two different types of dentine and cementum. This is now known to be characteristic of sloth teeth. He also determined that the teeth of _M. americanum_ were ever-growing, i.e., the teeth continued to grow throughout the life of the individual and never formed distinct roots. This contrasts with human teeth which cease to grow once the roots have formed.\r \r _Upon clearing away the matrix from the palatal and alveolar surface of one of the cranial fragments of the Megatherium in Mr Darwin's collection, I was gratified by the detection of the crown of a fifth molar, corresponding in size and form with the detached tooth, above alluded to: its small size, and its position have doubtless occasioned its being over-looked in the cranium of the great skeleton at Madrid._\r \r *** --Owen, R. 1838-1840. Part I. Fossil Mammalia. In Darwin, C. R. (ed.), The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832-1836. Smith Elder and Co., London. Page 102.***\r \r [What is _Megatherium_?](http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html)""" ; dc1:title "Megatherium americanum - skull fragment with teeth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number:** NHMUK PV M 43402\r \r **Specimen links:**\r \r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/dc5b76fd-2304-440d-8562-c347e715eeb8\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/9b996ae2-dc1c-499a-a017-b3f1ce68c02c\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/7fdcc678-c533-4e75-b02d-649930700850\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/9c5ac9ec-f334-459a-8612-a921a089cbf0\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/33bd9bd0-9f23-4bef-b719-4d3a2b074757\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/7211f79b-5704-4a3e-a8f6-68242b6a0d1c\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/d234191a-d023-4b31-a1d9-ffc4755231c2\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/4d77eb53-3e7e-4d8d-9844-0cbe6af35e77\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/154962c1-72f5-40f6-802e-8dfd4dfa417f\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/5302866a-8bec-40e5-b58e-16f9023c795c\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/137bc21c-ee97-48a8-8218-7bad9022dfff\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/0a58e724-820f-4123-a354-61aec755f030\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/8a5fe70b-8e57-4a43-865f-8689fcf151a1\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/d39d95ca-d954-4390-8ce0-15e6afcdde29\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/ad8e802e-306a-4f02-b8ef-27584dece183\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/934651ce-9f61-4299-8399-4f6f937c0281\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/e80cbdd7-ea5f-466f-8a3f-124b5ca4d617\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/33a8248a-d334-4db1-bdbb-48c6cc2022ad\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/371975a2-4881-4f8b-893a-ac5602e2969b\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/da242277-377b-41fc-bbe9-622e2404be20\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/15cc3c94-14f0-478c-93cf-a1a5ef9854a9\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/b2113532-aa0c-4e78-ab3f-ed734e93c70e\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/e11877eb-1661-4eeb-bb36-67e5774fa826\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/79254584-119a-4769-8956-4b72dbd73de8\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/04294e01-1f8a-4676-9f19-808a404692e6\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/76d6dfdd-8157-4f61-976b-2b9c6354e037\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/bc047a23-f4c0-4a1a-aa50-68f9d6968317\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/74c86c82-75f9-4af2-8963-a3f3a95eb861\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/bfdc07ec-4cce-4320-9159-4104333e17c9\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/f6c693df-11df-4d13-a5dc-1cee4bff3bd2\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/f400bf7e-c35a-4d44-aeff-dea56ad92165\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/51c38773-5348-4d78-bcef-f47d95eca439\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/51c38773-5348-4d78-bcef-f47d95eca439\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/45cbb129-946f-43e8-85b5-11767171cb6c\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/c4cba450-d125-434c-80c2-0ca49d081f47\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/e66756c6-d654-4b90-9f42-1f6fadea290e\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/7a8942cb-5c8e-4359-a1d2-0174f160aa27\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/7a8942cb-5c8e-4359-a1d2-0174f160aa27\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/3b5bf52f-1f39-4827-a92c-69c5fac55eeb\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/4b9187aa-96fd-40c1-84c9-b7b58a85c15d\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/048b473e-4de3-4117-90b2-df7939312902\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/4831b44a-25fc-4212-b888-35aafcd30f51\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/ca77f5eb-811d-4cee-b185-e73cc5b41094\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/079cfda4-5f2e-4854-acb7-667d64c1c170\r * https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/160a01df-dfad-4d23-8611-9ae1932d107e\r \r **Taxon:** _Macrauchenia patachonica_\r \r **Description:** Partial skeleton\r \r **Site:** Puerto San Julián, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina\r \r **Age:** Approximately middle Pleistocene to early Holocene (between 1.5 million and 10,000 years old)\r \r **Collection:** Collected on 10th to 18th January 1834 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments:** _Macrauchenia_ is a member of an extinct group of mammals called litopterns and this partial skeleton were the first described remains of this group. Richard Owen, who named this animal, was impressed by the similarity of the neck vertebrae to that of modern camelids, which _Macrauchenia_ resembled. However, its ankle bone and feet told a very different story. We now know that litopterns were more closely related to horses, rhinos and tapirs than to camelids.\r _At Port St Julian I found some very perfect bones of some large animal, I fancy a Mastodon: the bones of one hind extremity are very perfect and solid._\r **-- Darwin, C. R. 03/1834. Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 238,” accessed on 4 August 2021, **\r _A large extinct Mammiferous Animal, referrible to the Order Pachydermata; but with affinities to the Ruminantia, and especially to the Camelidae._\r **-- Owen, R. 1838-1840. Part I. Fossil Mammalia. In Darwin, C. R. (ed.), The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832-1836. Smith Elder and Co., London. Page 35.**\r \r \r The video shows the parts of the skeleton which were found by Charles Darwin in life position. A reconstruction of how the animal would have looked is then superimposed on the skeleton, with Darwin included for scale.""" ; dc1:title "Macrauchenia patachonica – partial skeleton" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16567\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/fb91b229-3fcd-4371-bce4-a79d864c4137\r \r **Taxon**: _Toxodon_\r \r **Description**: Left upper incisor or front tooth (I2). Owen originally identified this a lower incisor.\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Found in either September to October 1832 or August to September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: When describing this tooth in 1838-1840, Richard Owen was unsure whether to allocate this to the same species as the _Toxodon platensis_ cranium found in Uruguay (specimen number [NHMUK PV M 16560](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/dadf577f-fa52-4f48-8cdb-d11c98448009)), although he did think it belonged to the same species as the lower jaw ([NHMUK PV M 16566](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/f53623fc-0b45-41be-b65b-df4d24a59f3a)). The latter specimen was named _Toxodon darwinii_ (in honour of Charles Darwin) in 1866 by Herman Burmeister. _Toxodon darwinii_ probably represents the same species as _Toxodon platensis_.\r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.\r \r _…a tusk which in its prismatic form, and in the disposition of the enamel, closely resembles that of the African boar; it is probable that it belonged to the same animal with the singular flat grinders._\r \r ***-- Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle. [1st ed.]. Darwin, C. 1839. Volume III. Journal and remarks 1832-1836. Page 96.***""" ; dc1:title "Toxodon - Left upper incisor or front tooth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16560\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/1e0080dd-19e6-4ba5-bc8b-0aca2205c817\r \r **Taxon**: _Toxodon platensis_\r \r **Description**: Nearly complete cranium (skull without the lower jaw) missing the teeth\r \r **Site**: Banks of the Sarandi, adjacent to an estancia by the name of La Virgen de los Dolores. The latter was owned by Englishman George Keen and was located on the Bequeló, a stream near Mercedes, Uruguay.\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Purchased on 26th November 1833 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments**: This is the holotype specimen of _Toxodon platensis_. When a new species is proposed, a specimen is chosen to represent that species. This specimen is called the type specimen or holotype. Types are important specimens and it is the responsibility of museums such as the Natural History Museum (London) to care for these types and make them available for scientific study.\r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.\r \r _The Toxodon, perhaps one of the strangest animals, ever discovered: in size it equalled an elephant or megatherium [an extinct giant ground sloth], but the structure of its teeth, as Mr. Owen states, proves indisputably that it was intimately related to the Gnawers [rodents], the order which, at the present day, includes most of the smallest quadrupeds: in many details it is allied to the Pachydermata [an obsolete term referring to animals with thick skins such as elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses]: judging from the position of its eyes, ears and nostrils, it was probably aquatic, like the Dugong and Manatee, to which it is also allied. How wonderfully are the different Orders, at the present time so well separated, blended together in different points of the structure of the Toxodon!_\r \r ***-- Darwin, C. R. 1845. Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world, under the Command of Capt. Fitz Roy, R.N. 2nd edition. John Murray, London.***\r \r _The head was found embedded in whitish earthy clay on the banks of a small stream which enters the Rio Negro, and is situated 120 miles to the N.W. of Monte Video. The head had been kept for a short time in a neighbouring farm-house as a curiosity, but when I arrived it was lying in the yard. I bought it for the value of eighteen-pence. The people informed me that when first discovered, about two years previously, it was quite perfect, but that the boys had since knocked out the teeth and had put it on a post as a mark to throw stones at. They showed me the spot where it had been found after a sudden flood had washed down part of the bank. Several fragments of bone and of an armadillo-like case were lying at the bottom of the almost dry watercourse. Some of these I collected, but from the disturbed state of the country the box in which they were packed was delayed on the road, and was afterwards sent direct to England._\r \r ***-- Darwin, C. R. 1894. [Note on a Toxodon skull]. In R. Owen ed. The life of Richard Owen. London: John Murray, vol. 1, pp. 119-120. ***""" ; dc1:title "Toxodon platensis - cranium" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """ **Specimen number:** PV M 16558 a **Specimen link:** https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/d509c00f-4404-4202-98d3-99d52cdbafc8 **Taxon:** _Equus neogeus_ **Description:** Upper molar tooth in 2 parts **Site:** Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina **Age:** Late Pleistocene (between 129,000 and 11,700 years old) **Collection:** Collected in 1832 or 1833 by Charles Darwin **Comments:** Darwin and his servant, Syms Covington, spent many hours collecting fossils and matrix at Puta Alta in 1832 and 1833. The material they collected was shipped back to England and prepared at the Royal College of Surgeons. It was whilst preparing the collected rocks that this horse tooth was found embedded in the gravel matrix. _…it [the specimen] was embedded in the quartz shingle, formed of pebbles strongly cemented together with calcareous matter, which adhered as closely to the tooth in question, as the corresponding matrix did to the associated fossil remains. The tooth was as completely fossilized as the remains of the Mylodon, Megatherium, and Scelidothere; and was so far decomposed, that in the attempt to detach the adherent matrix, it became partially resolved into its component curved lamellae._ **-- _Owen, R. 1838-1840._ Part I. Fossil Mammalia. In Darwin, C. R. (ed.), The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832-1836. Smith Elder and Co., London. Pages 108-109*.** This specimen is one of two fossil horse teeth found by Darwin on his voyage and belong to the extinct species, _Equus neogeus_, which was widespread in South America during the Late Pleistocene. """ ; dc1:title "Equus neogeus – tooth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16562\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/0b8391b7-4043-4b52-99d1-13ccbf943c6f\r \r **Taxon**: _Toxodon platensis_\r \r **Description**: Right upper molar tooth (M2)\r \r **Site**: On the banks of the Carcarañá, a few miles distant from the Paraná cliffs at estancia Grondona (north of Rosario), next to the Villa La Ribera-Rosario-Santa Fe road, Santa Fe province, Argentina.\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old; however, these specimens are probably around 65,000 to 30,000 years old\r \r **Collection**: Found on 1st October 1833 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments**: This specimen was important as it was an almost exact match for one of the tooth sockets on the skull collected by Darwin in Uruguay, which formed the type specimen for this species. Physical similarities between this tooth and the teeth of some rodents greatly influenced Darwin’s and Richard Owen’s thinking on what _Toxodon_ was related to. We now know that _Toxodon_ was not closely related to rodents at all.\r \r _Toxodon_ is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.\r \r _October 1st …I found a curious & large cutting tooth._\r \r ***-- Keynes, R. D. 1988. Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Page 193.***\r \r _October 1st.- We started by moonlight and arrived at the Rio Tercero by sunrise…By good fortune, I discovered a tooth embedded in a layer of rock marl, which was afterwards found exactly to fit the socket in the head of a strange animal, the Toxodon..._\r \r ***-- Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle. [1st ed.]. Darwin, C. 1839. Volume III. Journal and remarks 1832-1836, p. 146.***\r \r _In ye R. Carcarana I got a tooth, which puzzles even my conjectures, it looks like an enormous gnawing one_\r \r ***-- Darwin, C. 1835. Extracts from letters addressed to Professor Henslow. Privately printed, Cambridge. Available via http://darwin-online.org.uk, p. 13. Letter to Henslow, 12.11.1833.***""" ; dc1:title "Toxodon platensis - right upper molar tooth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16588a\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/c991662b-55b2-4674-897f-34ff095d4859\r \r **Taxon**: _Megatherium americanum_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of the right maxilla with the 2nd and 3rd molariforms\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene to early Holocene (between 126,000 and 8,000 years old)\r \r **Collection**: Collected between September and October 1832 or between August and September 1833 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: This specimen has been cut in two at some point in the past to produce a horizontal section of the teeth. It is not clear when the section was made, although the section is mentioned in the Royal College of Surgeons 1884 catalogue. The other section is catalogued at [NHMUK PV M 16588b](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/8c6636cd-3352-4569-a07c-088c325501d2). Rock matrix still partially encases the specimen and is typical of other specimens from this site.\r \r [What is _Megatherium_?](http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html)""" ; dc1:title "Megatherium americanum - skull fragment with teeth" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16566\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/8f3f5253-4231-4dd2-a932-1a2330025293\r \r **Taxon**: _Toxodon_\r \r **Description**: Fragment of right side of the lower jaw with 5 cheek teeth (partial right p1-3 and left m1-2) and fragments of 5 anterior teeth or incisors (right i1-3 and left i1-2)\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene i.e., between 126,000 and 11,700 years old\r \r **Collection**: Probably found in September or October 1832 by Charles Darwin (specific date was not recorded)\r \r **Comments**: When describing this jaw in 1838-1840, Richard Owen was unsure whether to allocate this to the same species as the cranium found in Uruguay (specimen number [NHMUK PV M 16560](http://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset/darwins-fossil-mammals/resource/dadf577f-fa52-4f48-8cdb-d11c98448009)). In 1866, Herman Burmeister gave it a new species name: _Toxodon darwinii_ with the species named after Charles Darwin, who found the specimen. _Toxodon darwinii_ probably represents the same species as _Toxodon platensis_. This is the only fossil mammal specimen with Darwin's original field number still attached.\r \r Toxodon is an extinct herbivorous (plant eating) mammal from South America. It is often reconstructed to look like a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, although it is not closely related to either. It was first described by Richard Owen based on specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle.""" ; dc1:title "Toxodon - right side of lower jaw - fragment" ; dcat:accessURL . a dcat:Distribution ; dc1:description """**Specimen number**: NHMUK PV M 16585\r \r **Specimen Link**: http://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/ff312b9e-bb63-438b-a86b-a5a5415037e1\r \r **Taxon**: _Megatherium americanum_\r \r **Description**: Back of cranium, showing foramen magnum (hole where spinal cord enters skull)\r \r **Site**: Punta Alta, Argentina\r \r **Age**: Late Pleistocene to early Holocene (between 126,000 and 8,000 years old)\r \r **Collection**: Collected September to October 1832 by Charles Darwin\r \r **Comments**: In September-October 1832, Darwin spent many days excavating fossils from a beach deposit at Punta Alta in Argentina. Here he found a posterior segment of the skull of _Megatherium_. This was the exact portion missing from the partial skeleton recently acquired by the Royal College of Surgeons (and only the second partial skeleton known). As William Clift, the conservator at the Royal College of Surgeons, was in the process of making casts of the skeleton of _M. americanum_ to put on display, this was very timely! The specimen arrived in England in 1833, where it was exhibited at the British Association.\r \r _The fossil portions of the Megatherium turned out to be extremely interesting as serving to illustrate certain parts of the animal which the specimens formerly received in this country and in France had failed to do._\r \r *** --Henslow, J. S. 31/08/1833. Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 213” http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/DCP-LETT-213***\r \r _…the most perfect part of which affords a view of the posterior, and of part of the basal surface, which regions of the cranium have not hitherto been elsewhere figured or described, (Pl. XXX.)_\r \r *** --Owen, R. 1838-1840 (Part I. Fossil Mammalia. In Darwin, C. R. (ed.), The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832-1836. Smith Elder and Co., London. Page 100.***\r \r Later, Richard Owen used Darwin’s specimen to reveal important aspects of the animal’s behaviour, showing that _Megatherium_ had considerable freedom of movement of its head, powered by substantial neck muscles, and probably also a large muscular tongue functioning like that of a giraffe. Although commonly depicted with a long protuberant tongue, its’ presence in _Megatherium_ has recently been questioned.\r \r On examining this specimen, Owen also concluded that _Megatherium_ had a particularly small brain.\r \r _…from the indications afforded by the remains of the cranial cavity in Mr. Darwin's specimens, I conclude that the brain of the Megatherium was more depressed, and upon the whole, smaller by nearly one-half than that of the Elephant…whence it may be concluded that the Megatherium was a creature of less intelligence, and with the command of fewer resources, or a less varied instinct than the Elephant._\r \r *** --Owen, R. 1838-1840. Part I. Fossil Mammalia. In Darwin, C. R. (ed.), The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832-1836. Smith Elder and Co., London. Page 102.***\r \r [What is _Megatherium_?](http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-was-megatherium.html)""" ; dc1:title "Megatherium americanum - back of skull" ; dcat:accessURL .