Fossil evidence of the missing link in the origin of seals, sea lions, and walruses
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 - 12:14
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Researchers from the United States and Canada have found a nearly complete fossil skeleton of a newly discovered carnivorous animal, Puijila darwini, from the early Miocene - approximately 23 million years ago. New research on this animal suggests Puijila is a 'missing link' in the evolution of pinnipeds - the group that today includes seals, sea lions, and the walrus. The analysis of the skeleton, its evolutionary importance, and the support for the hypotheses that pinniped origins can be found in the Arctic will be described in a paper to be published in the 23 April issue of the journal Nature...