Puijila

Skeleton of Puijila darwini

• Devon Iceland, Nunavut, Canada

Puijila darwini is a primitive ancestor of Robben, who lived during the Oligocene and Miocene, 21-24 million years ago. It is the only known species of the genus Puijila and was scientifically described in 2009. The animal was about a meter long and had only minimal physical adaptations for swimming. Unlike modern seals, Puijila darwini had no fins and its general shape was similar to otter. However, skull and teeth show characteristics that identify them clearly as relatives of the seals. Puijila darwini is so far the most primitive member of the seal family, which has been discovered. The genus name comes from the language of Inuktitut, meaning " young seal ". The specific epithet honors Charles Darwin, who would have been in 2009 200 years old and noted early on in the development of the seals. The only known copy is preserved fossilized skeleton to 65 percent, which was funded in the Haughton Crater on Devon Iceland in Nunavut to days. It is stored in the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario.

Background

Puijila darwini was a semi- aquatic predator that represents a morphological mosaic form in the early development of the seals. The fossil remains show enlarged, probably webbed feet occupied, strong front legs and an unspecialized tail. This suggests that Puijila quadrupedal paddling and used the webbed front and rear legs for propulsion. Phylogenetic studies, including molecular evidence point to a sister relationship between seals, bears and martens ( weasels and otters ). Initially it was assumed that the land-dwelling mammals eventually went over to a more marine life, so essentially a " return to the sea ," carried out in order to gain some sort of survival advantage. However, fossil evidence for this transition were previously not by hand or controversial. The discovery of Puijila is significant insofar as it represents a transitional fossil ( Missing Link ), the information about it reveals how the group of seals could have made ​​the transition into the sea. Puijila was related to the fossil genera Robben Enaliarctos and Potamotherium.

Discovery

Remnants of this new type were funded in 2007 and 2008 by the Canadian palaeontologist Natalia Rybczynski and her team in the deposits of early Miocene lake in the Haughton Formation on Devon Iceland in Nunavut, Canada to days. Palaeobotanical records to give presumption occasion that the paleoenvironment around the lake included a forest landscape in transition between a boreal forest and a coniferous - deciduous forest. The weather was determined by a cool - temperate coastal climate and temperate winters. Puijila darwini is the first carnivorous mammal fossil, which was promoted to the Haughton -sea sediments to light. The discovery also could be an indication that the evolution of seals began in the Arctic.