skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Teeth from one of the whale fossils. Photo courtesy: Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center via livescience.com
Fossils uncovered during construction of a roadway in Southern California have revealed four new species of ancient whales, according to research presented here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
One of the species, dubbed "Willy," is much larger than the others and may have eaten sharks, said Meredith Rivin, a paleontologist at the Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center in Fullerton, Calif., and part of the team that studied the fossils.
The fossils were excavated a decade ago, but are only now giving up their secrets, in part because it takes so long to separate the fossils from the rocks, Rivin said. "For the last 10 years… I've been trying to 'free Willy,'" Rivin said.
These animals were toothed, baleen whales, and swam the oceans from about 17 million to 19 million years ago, Rivin said. That's quite a surprise, since this group was thought to have gone extinct about 5 million years earlier, she said.
Most of the world's largest whales belong to a suborder called Mysticeti, which all use a structure called baleen to filter food from the oceans. Their earliest ancestors, however, had teeth. Although these four species of whale don't appear to be direct relatives of modern baleen whales, they may represent transitional forms between the earlier toothed whales and toothless baleen whales, Rivin said. Modern baleen whales like fin whales have teeth only as embryos; the teeth are reabsorbed long before birth, she added.
All modern whales evolved from a single type of land mammal about 55 million years ago, Rivin said. These animals were quite small, about the size of a modern golden retriever, she noted.
It isn't well understood exactly how whales became so gigantic, although it's at least partially related to the development of baleen and a behavior called "lunge feeding," wherein whales swallow enormous amounts of water and filter out tiny animals like krill, said Nicholas Pyenson, a researcher at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in Rivin's research.
Pyenson described Rivin's find as "exciting" and said that he's eager to see the published details of the fossils, which are due in the near future, Rivin said.
Pyenson also happened upon whale fossils unearthed during construction of a roadway, in his case, in Chile. His group only had one week to remove the material and used a laser scanner to create a 3D visualization or map of the fossils, he said. The researchers then used a 3D printer to create a physical model of the fossils, Pyenson said at the AAAS meeting.
The teeth of "Willy" are severely worn down, suggesting that this whale may have eaten large animals like sharks. Modern-day, offshore killer whales show a similar pattern of tooth wear, which results from feeding on thick-skinned sleeper sharks, Rivin said.
Photo courtesy: Care2
It's one of those snafus that only government authorities can create. One that causes you to shake your head and wonder how red tape can promote such idiocy.
Governor Schwarzenegger has always tried to do the environmentally-friendly thing when it comes to making decisions that affect Californians. Now it would seem that the bureaucrats in Orange, California are determined to undo a bit of the progress the Governor has made conserving some of the Earth's precious resources.
Quan and Angelina Ha recently had a baby girl. Along with the baby came a change of thinking for the Has. They started re-evaluating their lifestyle, their priorities, and their personal responsibilities in trying to halt global warming. Mr. Ha explains: "We've got a newborn, so we want to start worrying about her future."
Commendable, one would think. However, the city of Orange has threatened them with a lawsuit over the state of their lawn. What could they have possibly done to their lawn that would cause the city to consider a lawsuit against them, you ask. The answer will surprise you.
Angelina and Quan Ha walk through their frontyard with daughter Zella. After the city informed them that their property was not up to code, they added bark, fencing and drought-tolerant plants. Photo courtesy: Los Angeles Times (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times / February 25, 2010)
It all started two years ago when the Has decided to remove all the grass in their yard in an effort to help safeguard their daughter's future. The city complained - the dirt was unacceptable. The Has, conscientious citizens, covered the entire yard with wood chips in an attempt to comply with the city's request.
Not having to water their thirsty yard had the potential to save tens of thousands of gallons of water and hundreds of dollars a year. It seemed the environmentally responsible thing to do. After all, California is one of the most drought-affected states in the USA. Three years of successive drought has lowered the reservoirs to a critical level.
Water is a key political and economic issue in California, as in other parts of the Southwest. There is ongoing wrangling between agricultural and residential water interests, and concern grows that water will be the new oil, a conflict-prone linchpin and threat for the long-term viability of the state.
But city officials determined the wood chip fix was not acceptable. They pointed to a city ordinance that says that 40% of the yard be landscaped predominantly with live plants.
"Compliance, that's all we've ever wanted," said Senior Assistant City Atty. Wayne Winthers.
Last summer, the couple tried to appease the city; and, still maintain an almost water-free yard by building a fence around the yard and planting drought-tolerant greenery -- lavender, rosemary, horsetail and pittosporum, among others.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Quan and Angelina Ha reduced their annual water usage from 299,221 gallons in 2007 to 58,348 gallons in 2009: an 80% savings. Quan Ha pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor for violating county codes.
Now, here comes the rub. A California Public Policy Institute report estimates that more than half of all residential water used is wasted on lawn and outdoor plant care. California's Water Use Efficiency website urges conservation efforts, including: "Water-efficient landscape designs using low water-use plants" and "Minimized turf areas."
Ironically, by abiding by the recommendations of the state water agency, the Ha family leaves itself open to prosecution by the city.
I wonder what Governor Schwarzenegger would think?
Via Care2 and Los Angeles Times
Posts
