The American alligator could also be synonymous with the South, however underwater fossil-hunting is a worldwide pastime. Exterior the U.S., divers have encountered paleo-treasures in such locations as Australia, Bali, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and the Bahamas.
Again in 2014, a bona fide “lemur graveyard” was found within the submerged caves of Madagascar’s Tsimanampetsotsa Nationwide Park. The massive discover was made attainable by a global collaborative effort between anthropologists, paleontologists and scuba divers.
Lots of of bones appeared within the underwater sediments. Some got here from up to date species just like the invasive black rat. Different stays had been left behind by animals that went extinct throughout the previous few millennia.
The location shortly established itself because the world’s greatest cache of Pachylemur fossils. An historic relative of the ruffed lemur, this creature was about twice as heavy, weighing an estimated 22 kilos (10 kilograms). It could’ve been totally dwarfed by the gorilla-sized Mesopropithecus, a gargantuan lemur additionally represented in these caves.
Pygmy hippo, elephant hen and horned crocodile materials was additionally recovered by the dive staff — together with the uncommon, just about full cranium of yet one more bygone lemur species.
Having access to the bounty wasn’t simple. The caves in query had been seemingly dry sooner or later, however at the moment they’re a part of a flooded sinkhole. Proper now, the system’s most fossil-laden cave runs 82 ft (25 meters) deep. It is a darkish atmosphere with a posh structure, stuffed with horizontal passageways and murky waters.
In brief, that is no place for novice divers. Cave-diving normally is a high-risk sport; in the event you wander off-course, you’ll be able to’t all the time ascend straight as much as the floor. So to keep away from getting misplaced, the scuba specialists on that 2014 staff tracked their pathways with about 879 ft (268 meters) of security strains.
Joe Harvey
