Whales are the most marine of all creatures yet I never fully appreciated their terrestrial origins until I saw the walking whales.
Walking Whales and The Rise of the Cetaceans
Tag: Evolution
When Invertebrates Ruled the Planet: the Enigmatic Rangeomorphs
The Ediacaran period represents the earliest appearance of complex life. It’s a fascinating era with many puzzles. Chief among them are the Rangeomorphs, an enigmatic group of organisms that were ubiquitous in fossil assemblages over 580 mya, 40 million years before the “Cambrian explosion.”.
Paleozoic Puzzle: the Origins of Abalone
Around the world they are called abulón, awabi, bàoyú, ormer, ormeau, pāua, perlemoen, pauhi, haliote but all are abalone. Abalones (family Haliotidae) are all in the genus Haliotis (“ear shells”) a worldwide group of snails known for their beautiful iridescent shells and incredible tasty meat. In many places of the world abalone are (or were) multi-million dollar fisheries…