Subfossils/Extinction of Giant Species
Today, Dr. Jungers taught us about the extinction of multiple species, including giant species of lemurs. The most interesting one to us was the Koala Lemur (Megaladapis), which, according to subfossil records, is theorized to be arboreal, terrestrial, and aquatic. Its foot is as long as its thigh bone! Although there are many theories as to what happened to these species, the most prominent ones are that they disappeared due to climate change and synergy, which is a theory including human impact and other causes. Despite the climate change theory’s longterm validity, a paper has recently been published that suggests it was not a factor in the extinction of the giant animal species.
The Animal Biology & Botany Department Tours
While at the University, we were given brief tours of the botany and animal biology departments. The gardens here were beautiful; with the high number of endemic species in Madagascar, we were surprised to see many we recognized as they had relatives that are found in the United States. The agave plant and the “crocodile tree” were some of our favorites. Although not native to country, the agave plant looked like giant pieces of green and yellow pulled taffy. This plant makes tequila and sweet syrup, so the plant is as useful as it is aesthetically pleasing. As you can imagine, the “crocodile tree” had little knobs with spines protruding from them, not unlike the sharp teeth of a crocodile. This species is endemic, while the agave plant is from South America.
On the tour of the animal biology department, we got to see the molecular biology laboratory as well as many preserved specimens. One of the specimens that particularly struck us was the incredibly rare coelacanth, which is a living fossil that filled in a major hole in the evolution of terrestrial animals.
