My paleontological partner and I decided to set out and find the transitional fossil between Enhydra Reevei and Enhydra Lutris, which would explain the genetic and geographical gap between to the two animals. Often called the ancient otter of the Pliocene Epoch, the Enhydra Reevei was found in the Gelasian marine horizon in the Norwich Crag Formation of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, geographers denounced the Reevei as a viable ancestor of the Enhydra lutris due to the expansive distance between the location of the Reevei and the nearest source of Lutris in Russia. If we could prove that the Reevei had somehow managed to cross over to Russia from England, then we could fill in the geographical gap between the two organisms, linking them as ancestor to successor. In our expedition to prove the immigration of Reevei from the Northern Atlantic to the Nothern Pacific, we came across an interesting discovery in the northern tip of Germany. We discovered a fossil that shared the characteristics of both Reevei and Lutris, the missing key to our incomplete hypothesis—the Enhydra Mendacia.
Mendacia was part of the transition from life in deeper waters to
life in coastal areas. Their front paws were becoming more paw-like. There was
less webbing and more dexterity. Their hind legs were strong to be able to push
through water easily, and they were smaller than Reevei to be
able to maneuver through the water, avoid predators, and catch prey. Fairly
carnivorous, they dined on shellfish and small fish, much like Lutris today. We
assume that they had thick fur to adapt to the extreme cold of their
environment. They lived on what is the coast of present-day Germany and
probably spent an equivalent amount of time in and out of the water. Mendacia would
have had to swim into deeper waters to encounter its prey – small fish and
shellfish. Due to the low temperature and strong sea currents of German
seas, Mendacia developed stronger and thicker hind legs, which
can be seen in the skeleton comparison below.
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There
are the hind femur bones of the otters. Skeletons A, B, C, and D are Enhydra
reevei. Skeletons E, F, G, and H are the hind femur bones of Enhydra
mendacia. Even though the medancia had a smaller
overall body than reevei, its hinds legs were much more developed
and thicker, which allowed it to propel itself against the strong
currents of the sea.
These are the forearms of two
otters of different species. Skeletons A and B are those of mendacia. C
and D are Enhydra reevei. From the difference in size we can
see that evolution occurred in the skeletal structure of mendacia that
allowed to adapt to the harsh environments of environments of Germany.
Our team
consisted of my partner, myself, and three interns (volunteering on the
expedition). Once we landed at the Airport Hamburg- Fuhlsbüttel, instead of locating a hotel, we set up
camp near the German coast north of Hamburg, close to our excavation spot. Our
gear consisted of two good sized tents, a cooking pan, food, the usual
toiletries, excavating tools (shovels, picks, plaster, etc.) and a first aid
kit. Before going, we had our recommended vaccines (Hepatitis A and B,
influenza, and any other routine vaccines). We stocked up on simple, easy foods
at a grocery store in town and made sure we all had umbrellas for the summer
precipitation. We had coats, even though it was the summer, because the warmest
it got was 78 degrees and colder days would find us bundled up because it was
52 degrees outside.
When we found the fossil, we excavated it
carefully with our aforementioned tools, plastered it, and flew it out to the
closest research facility. We then got back on a plane and returned home, where
we are now presenting our findings. Our interns must be thrilled.
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Action
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Cost (lowest
estimate)
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Air travel
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$5,600 (for three months)
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Food
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$3,750 (for three months)
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Helicopter rental (fossil transportation)
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$200-250/ hour (assuming about eight hours necessary at most)
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Car rental
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$2,511 (for three months)
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TOTAL BUDGET
(rounded up in case of emergency)
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$16,000
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