Re: AAT Theory

chris brochu (gator@mail.utexas.edu)
3 Sep 1995 22:08:01 GMT

In article <41vfus$p82@ttis.thomtech.com> Mike Reid, mreid@thomtech.com
writes:
>Where a fossil is found is just as important as what is found. What
>if fossils of a proto-hominid creature were found in late Miocene
>nearshore marine deposits? Wouldn€t such fossils provide solid
>evidence to support the AAT, even if they don€t exhibit any
>morphologic features which are clearly identifiable as aquatic
>adaptations?

Please pardon the intrusion of a crocodylian systematist into this
discussion.

The Miocene Calvert Cliffs Formation produces a rich diversity of
vertebrate fossils, including large sharks, bony fishes, whales, and
crocodylians. Based on sedimentological evidence, the depositional
environment was probably coastal or nearshore marine.

The Calvert Cliffs Formation also includes the remains of horses and
camels. These ungulate bones are probably more abundant in the Calvert
Cliffs than hominid bones are in their respective settings. Does that
imply that these horses and camels were aquatic?

chris

Christopher Brochu
Department of Geological Sciences
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712

gator@mail.utexas.edu