GLIMPSING SHADOWS: OUR COASTAL WOLVES

Wolves are among the most iconic predators of the northern hemisphere—intelligent, social, and adaptable creatures that have roamed the wilds of North America for hundreds of thousands of years. 

But their story begins long before that, deep in the fossil record, when canids first began to evolve.

The ancestors of today’s wolves can be traced back more than 30 million years to the early canids of the Oligocene. One of the earliest known members of the dog family is Hesperocyon, a small, fox-like carnivore that lived in what is now North America. 

Over millions of years, these early canids diversified into various forms, including the dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) and the gray wolf (Canis lupus), which appeared around 1 to 2 million years ago.

The gray wolf evolved in Eurasia and migrated into North America via the Bering land bridge during the Pleistocene. Once here, it quickly became a dominant predator across the continent, adapting to a wide range of environments—from the Arctic tundra to the deserts of Mexico.

Today, Canis lupus is still widely distributed across North America, although its range has contracted significantly due to human expansion, habitat loss, and historical persecution. Wolves are found in:

• Alaska – home to the largest populations in North America.
• The Rocky Mountains – including parts of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.
• The Western Great Lakes – especially Minnesota and Wisconsin.
• Canada – particularly British Columbia, Alberta, and the boreal forests of the northern provinces.
• Vancouver Island – which hosts a distinct coastal population.
• The Pacific Coast – small populations in Washington and Oregon are making a comeback.

Wolves are apex predators and essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems. They primarily prey on large ungulates such as deer, moose, elk, and caribou. 

In coastal regions, particularly on British Columbia’s Central Coast and Vancouver Island, wolves have adapted their diets to include salmon, intertidal invertebrates, and even seals. I have seen them eat their way along the tide line, scavenging whatever the sea has washed up for their breakfasts. 

These wolves have been observed swimming between islands in search of food, a behavior rarely seen in inland populations. If you explore the coast by boat, kayak or other means, you can see their footprints in the sand, telling you that you are not alone as you explore the rugged coast.

Wolves help control herbivore populations, which in turn benefits vegetation and can even influence river systems, as famously demonstrated in Yellowstone National Park after wolves were reintroduced in 1995.

Wolves on Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is home to a small but resilient population of coastal wolves, often referred to as coastal sea wolves. These wolves are genetically and behaviorally distinct from their inland counterparts. While exact numbers fluctuate, current estimates suggest approximately 350 wolves live on Vancouver Island.

They are elusive and tend to avoid human interaction, making them difficult to study and count accurately. Much of what we know comes from the work of wildlife researchers and photographers such as Ian McAllister, whose documentation of coastal wolf behavior has been instrumental in raising awareness.

If you are looking to see more of these coastal predators, search out the work of photographers like Liron Gertsman, Ian Harland, and Sandy Sharkey, who have captured stunning images and footage of these elusive creatures in their natural habitat, along our beaches and old-growth forests. 

Despite their adaptability, wolves face a number of threats:

• Habitat Loss and Human Encroachment: As logging and development continue to fragment wild areas on Vancouver Island, wolves are pushed into closer proximity with humans, increasing the likelihood of conflict.
• Hunting and Trapping: Wolves are not protected under the Wildlife Act in much of British Columbia and can be hunted or trapped in many areas. Although controversial, some view wolf control as a means to support ungulate populations for hunting.
• Poisoning and Culling: In parts of Canada, wolves have been poisoned or culled in misguided efforts to protect caribou herds, despite ecological evidence showing that habitat preservation is more critical to caribou survival.
• Decline in Prey: As deer populations fluctuate due to climate change, human hunting pressure, and habitat alteration, wolves may face food scarcity.
• Public Misunderstanding: Myths and negative stereotypes about wolves still persist, sometimes fueling unnecessary fear and policy decisions not based on science.
• Wolves have been on this land longer than humans. Their long evolutionary journey has shaped them into highly specialized, intelligent animals with complex social structures. But their survival now depends on us.

On Vancouver Island and across the continent, conservation efforts, education, and science-based wildlife management are essential to ensuring wolves continue to howl in the wild for generations to come.

Vancouver Island local, Gary Allan, who runs the SWELL Wolf Education Centre in Nanaimo and is known for his extensive work in wolf advocacy and education is a good resource of up-to-date information on our coastal wolves. 

He has been educating the public about wolves since 2006, both through the Tundra Speaks Society and the education centre. Allan's work involves interacting with wolves, including his wolf-dog Tundra, and sharing his knowledge with schools, community groups, and First Nations organizations. 

Have you seen one of our coastal wolves up close and in person? It is a rare treat and for me, generally on an early morning walk. I hope we keep the balance so that the wolves live in peace and continue to thrive.

Further Reading and Resources

McAllister, Ian. The Last Wild Wolves: Ghosts of the Rain Forest. Greystone Books, 2007.

Mech, L. David, and Boitani, Luigi (eds.). Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Fossil Canids Database – University of California Museum of Paleontology

Raincoast Conservation Foundation – https://www.raincoast.org

SPIRALING BEAUTY: AMMONITES AS INDEX FOSSILS

Argonauticeras besairei, Collection of José Juárez Ruiz.

An exceptional example of fractal building of an ammonite septum, in this clytoceratid Argonauticeras besairei from the awesome José Juárez Ruiz.

Ammonites were predatory, squid-like creatures that lived inside coil-shaped shells.

Like other cephalopods, ammonites had sharp, beak-like jaws inside a ring of squid-like tentacles that extended from their shells. They used these tentacles to snare prey, — plankton, vegetation, fish and crustaceans — similar to the way a squid or octopus hunt today.

Catching a fish with your hands is no easy feat, as I'm sure you know. But the Ammonites were skilled and successful hunters. They caught their prey while swimming and floating in the water column. Within their shells, they had a number of chambers, called septa, filled with gas or fluid that were interconnected by a wee air tube. By pushing air in or out, they were able to control their buoyancy in the water column.

They lived in the last chamber of their shells, continuously building new shell material as they grew. As each new chamber was added, the squid-like body of the ammonite would move down to occupy the final outside chamber.

They were a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids — octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish) than they are to shelled nautiloids such as the living Nautilus species.

The Ammonoidea can be divided into six orders:

• Agoniatitida, Lower Devonian - Middle Devonian
• Clymeniida, Upper Devonian
• Goniatitida, Middle Devonian - Upper Permian
• Prolecanitida, Upper Devonian - Upper Triassic
• Ceratitida, Upper Permian - Upper Triassic
• Ammonitida, Lower Jurassic - Upper Cretaceous

Ammonites have intricate and complex patterns on their shells called sutures. The suture patterns differ across species and tell us what time period the ammonite is from. If they are geometric with numerous undivided lobes and saddles and eight lobes around the conch, we refer to their pattern as goniatitic, a characteristic of Paleozoic ammonites.

If they are ceratitic with lobes that have subdivided tips; giving them a saw-toothed appearance and rounded undivided saddles, they are likely Triassic. For some lovely Triassic ammonites, take a look at the specimens that come out of Hallstatt, Austria and from the outcrops in the Humboldt Mountains of Nevada.

Hoplites bennettiana (Sowby, 1826).

If they have lobes and saddles that are fluted, with rounded subdivisions instead of saw-toothed, they are likely Jurassic or Cretaceous. If you'd like to see a particularly beautiful Lower Jurassic ammonite, take a peek at Apodoceras. Wonderful ridging in that species.

One of my favourite Cretaceous ammonites is the ammonite, Hoplites bennettiana (Sowby, 1826). This beauty is from Albian deposits near Carrière de Courcelles, Villemoyenne, near la région de Troyes (Aube) Champagne in northeastern France.

At the time that this fellow was swimming in our oceans, ankylosaurs were strolling about Mongolia and stomping through the foliage in Utah, Kansas and Texas. Bony fish were swimming over what would become the strata making up Canada, the Czech Republic and Australia. Cartilaginous fish were prowling the western interior seaway of North America and a strange extinct herbivorous mammal, Eobaatar, was snuffling through Mongolia, Spain and England.

In some classifications, these are left as suborders, included in only three orders: Goniatitida, Ceratitida, and Ammonitida. Once you get to know them, ammonites in their various shapes and suturing patterns make it much easier to date an ammonite and the rock formation where is was found at a glance.

Ammonites first appeared about 240 million years ago, though they descended from straight-shelled cephalopods called bacrites that date back to the Devonian, about 415 million years ago, and the last species vanished in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.

They were prolific breeders that evolved rapidly. If you could cast a fishing line into our ancient seas, it is likely that you would hook an ammonite, not a fish. They were prolific back in the day, living (and sometimes dying) in schools in oceans around the globe. We find ammonite fossils (and plenty of them) in sedimentary rock from all over the world.

In some cases, we find rock beds where we can see evidence of a new species that evolved, lived and died out in such a short time span that we can walk through time, following the course of evolution using ammonites as a window into the past.

For this reason, they make excellent index fossils. An index fossil is a species that allows us to link a particular rock formation, layered in time with a particular species or genus found there. Generally, deeper is older, so we use the sedimentary layers rock to match up to specific geologic time periods, rather the way we use tree-rings to date trees. A handy way to compare fossils and date strata across the globe.

References: Inoue, S., Kondo, S. Suture pattern formation in ammonites and the unknown rear mantle structure. Sci Rep 6, 33689 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep33689
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep33689?fbclid=IwAR1BhBrDqhv8LDjqF60EXdfLR7wPE4zDivwGORTUEgCd2GghD5W7KOfg6Co#citeas

Photo: Hoplites Bennettiana from near Troyes, France. Collection de Christophe Marot

15TH BCPA PALEONTOLOGICAL SYMPOSIUM: COURTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA

SAVE THE DATE: 15th British Columbia Paleontological Symposium

Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay, British Columbia, on the Traditional Territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, August 22-25, 2025

CELEBRATING THE PALEONTOLOGICAL BOUNTY OF THE COMOX VALLEY

The conference features over a dozen speakers in paleontology from Vancouver Island, mainland British Columbia, and beyond. 

This year, we’re celebrating Courtenay’s own Traskasaura sandrae—a 12-metre-long marine elasmosaur discovered by Mike Trask along the Puntledge River. The fossil was recently named in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology, earning international recognition.

Traskasaura sandrae is a newly identified genus and species of elasmosaurid plesiosaur, a long-necked marine reptile, discovered in British Columbia, Canada. 

The fossil, found along the Puntledge River on Vancouver Island, are from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian age), roughly 86 to 84 million years ago. Traskasaura sandrae is notable for its robust teeth, potentially adapted for crushing ammonites, and a unique mix of primitive and derived skeletal features, suggesting it was a powerful predator adapted for diving. 

As well as highlighting this significant find and honouring the amazing life of Mike Trask, the symposium has an exciting lineup of scientific presentations, hands-on workshops, a paleontology-themed art exhibition, poster presentations, and guided field trips. 

These events provide exciting opportunities to explore and celebrate the rich geological and paleontological history of Vancouver Island, bringing together world-renowned paleontologists, citizen scientists, fossil enthusiasts, researchers, artists, and the public in a vibrant exchange of ideas and inspiration.

Our Keynote Speaker is Dr. Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, where he oversees the world's largest natural history collection. 

As a field paleontologist, he has led expeditions in eighteen US states and eleven countries with a research focus on fossil plants and the extinction of the dinosaurs. He is known for his scientific articles, popular books, museum exhibitions, documentaries, and collaborations with artists.

BRITISH COLUMBIA PALEONTOLOGICAL ALLIANCE (BCPA)

The British Columbia Paleontological Alliance (BCPA) is a collaborative network of organisations led by professional and citizen scientists, working to advance the science of paleontology in the province. 

Together, they promote fossil research and discovery through public education, responsible scientific collecting, and open communication among paleontologists, citizen scientists, fossil enthusiasts, researchers, and educators.

Every two years, the BCPA hosts a Paleontological Symposium, bringing together experts and the public from across Canada, North America, and beyond to share the latest research and discoveries related to British Columbia's fossil heritage.  To learn more, visit www.bcfossils.ca.

VANCOUVER ISLAND PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY (HOST ORGANIZATION):

This year, the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society (VIPS) is proud to host the 15th BCPA Symposium in Courtenay, in partnership with the Courtenay and District Museum & Palaeontology Centre. 

Founded in 1992 and based in the Comox Valley, VIPS is a nonprofit society with charitable status in good standing dedicated to fostering public engagement with the natural world through field trips, workshops, symposia, and public lectures that bring science to life for the community. 

COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP, SILENT AUCTION ITEMS & WELCOME BAGS: 

As host, the VIPS is currently welcoming sponsorship contributions and donations for the symposium's silent auction to help us offset conference costs, including printing, venue rental, catering, insurance, and participant support. We are also seeking items to include in our Welcome Bags for conference attendees, offering an excellent opportunity to showcase local businesses and community spirit. 

Sponsors will be publicly recognised at the conference, within the Courtenay and District Museum, and across our social media platforms. Tax receipts are available for eligible donations.

Sponsorship cheques made out to the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society can be mailed to 930 Sandpines Drive, Comox, BC, V9M 3V3. Attn: 15th BCPA Symposium 2025.

We would be honoured to have your support—your contribution would bring meaningful value to this exciting scientific event. If you have an item to donate to our silent auction or to include in our Welcome Bags, we would be sincerely grateful and can arrange for convenient pickup. 

To get involved or learn more, please contact us at bcpaleo.events@gmail.com—we’d love to hear from you! 

Warm regards on behalf of the 15th BCPA Organising Committee.

FOSSIL HUNTRESS PODCAST: DEAD SEXY SCIENCE

Geeky goodness from the Fossil Huntress. If you love paleontology, you will love this stream. Dinosaurs, trilobites, ammonites—you'll find them all here!

Close your eyes & fly with me as we head out together to explore Earth's rich history written in her rock. Travel to extraordinary places, sacred sites & unearth mysteries millions of years old on the Fossil Huntress Podcast.

This stream is for those who share an enduring passion for our world's hidden treasures, its wild places & want to uncover her beauty stone by stone.

This is the story of the making of our Earth and the many wonderful creatures who have called it home.

Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of paleontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs. Save the stream to your favorites to listen while you drive, head out fossil collecting or snuggle in for the night!

​To listen now, visit: https://open.spotify.com/show/1hH1wpDFFIlYC9ZW5uTYVL

FOSSIL FRESHWATER SALMON FROM KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Fossilized Salmon gifted to the Huntress by John Leahy

Nestled in the interior of British Columbia, the region around Kamloops is a dry, sagebrush-studded landscape—and home to some of Canada’s most remarkable fossil fish discoveries. 

It is also home to many rattlesnakes, so if you are up that way, step lively!

Among the most fascinating fossils found here are fossilized salmonids, distant ancestors of the modern Pacific salmon that are iconic to the rivers of British Columbia today.

The fossils of interest date back to the Eocene, approximately 50 million years ago, and are primarily found in the Tranquille Formation, a part of the Kamloops Group. 

This ancient lakebed is located at McAbee Fossil Beds, near Cache Creek just west of Kamloops, and also in the nearby Driftwood Canyon and Princeton fossil beds, which together form part of British Columbia’s Eocene fossil record.

The Tranquille Formation preserves what was once a large, subtropical freshwater lake surrounded by lush forests. 

Volcanic ashfalls and fine silt periodically buried aquatic organisms and plant matter, preserving them in astonishing detail. Among the insects, plants, and other fish fossils, paleontologists have discovered fossil remains of early salmonids, the group of fish that includes modern salmon and trout.

A significant discovery was Eosalmo driftwoodensis, the earliest known fossil representative of the salmon family (Salmonidae). 

First described in 1977 by Canadian ichthyologist Mark Wilson, Eosalmo was recovered from the Driftwood Canyon site in northern BC but its relatives have been found in similar-aged formations across the province, including near Kamloops.

These fossils show that salmonids had already begun to diversify during the early Eocene. Eosalmo displays characteristics linking it to both trout and salmon, suggesting that the divergence between these lineages was already underway. Its morphology includes features like a terminal mouth, forked tail, and well-developed fins, hallmarks of active freshwater swimmers.

What’s particularly interesting about fossil salmonids in British Columbia is that they appear to have lived exclusively in freshwater during the Eocene. 

This contrasts with today’s Pacific salmon, which are famously anadromous—born in freshwater, migrating to the ocean, and returning to spawn. The fossil record suggests this sea-run lifestyle evolved later, possibly as a response to tectonic shifts and changing ocean currents in the Miocene, around 20 million years ago.

The lakes of Eocene BC, including the one preserved at McAbee, would have supported thriving fish populations in a warm, relatively stable climate. Fossil finds include not just salmonids but also bowfins, suckers, and small freshwater herring-like fish, painting a picture of a rich and diverse aquatic ecosystem.

The McAbee Fossil Beds, now designated as a provincial heritage site, continue to yield new specimens. Though public access is currently restricted to protect the integrity of the site, ongoing research continues to uncover new details about the ancient ecosystems of interior BC.

Institutions such as the Royal BC Museum and the University of Alberta have studied and preserved these fossil fish. Scientific papers by Mark Wilson, and others have helped place these finds into a broader evolutionary context, revealing how ancient fish faunas of western North America evolved over tens of millions of years.

The fossil salmon of Kamloops bones, entombed in rock for 50 million years, speak to a time when the interior of British Columbia was lush, warm, and teeming with life. 

As research continues, these fossil salmonids help illuminate the early history of a fish group vital not just to ecosystems, but to cultures and economies across the Pacific Rim.

The beauty you see here is a fossil salmon skull gifted to me by the remarkable John Leahy, who is much missed!

References:

Wilson, M. V. H. (1977). Eosalmo driftwoodensis, a new genus and species of fossil salmonid fish from the Eocene of British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 14(5), 1213–1230.

Wilson, M. V. H., & Li, G. Q. (1999). Osteology and phylogenetic relationships of Eosalmo, the earliest known salmonid fish. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 36(10), 1559–1573.

Archibald, S. B., Greenwood, D. R., Smith, R. Y., Mathewes, R. W., & Basinger, J. F. (2011). Great Canadian Lagerstätten 1. Early Eocene Lagerstätten of the Okanagan Highlands (British Columbia and Washington State). Geoscience Canada, 38(4), 155–164.

McAbee Fossil Beds Provincial Heritage Site: https://www2.gov.bc.ca

If you’re ever driving through Kamloops, it’s humbling to think that beneath your feet lie the ancestors of today’s salmon—timeless travellers of BC’s ancient waterways.

CRUISIN THE FOSSIL FREEWAY: ALASKAN PALEONTOLOGY

Alaska, often called the "Last Frontier," is not only home to staggering wilderness and modern megafauna like bears and moose—it’s also a treasure trove of prehistoric life. 

From marine reptiles that swam in the Arctic seas to duck-billed dinosaurs that thrived in polar forests, Alaska’s fossil record paints a vivid picture of life at high latitudes during deep time.

Alaska’s geological history is a complex collage of terranes—fragmented pieces of crust that accreted onto the North American plate. This makes the state an exceptionally diverse fossil site, with deposits spanning from the Paleozoic to the Cenozoic. 

Some of the most significant fossil discoveries in Alaska come from:

• Prince Creek Formation (Late Cretaceous): One of the northernmost dinosaur-bearing formations on Earth, located along Alaska’s North Slope.
• Liscomb Bonebed: A hotspot for Arctic dinosaurs, discovered in the 1960s and later explored in detail by Kirk Johnson and colleagues.
• Tuxedni Group (Jurassic): Marine invertebrates, including ammonites and bivalves, are common here.
• Chickaloon Formation (Paleocene): Known for its beautifully preserved fossil plants, including fossilized redwoods and Metasequoia.

One of the most astonishing aspects of Alaskan fossils is the presence of polar dinosaurs. During the Late Cretaceous, the Arctic Circle was a much warmer place than it is today, but still experienced months of darkness. 

Herbivorous dinosaurs such as Edmontosaurus, Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis (a newly named hadrosaur species from the North Slope), and Pachyrhinosaurus lived in herds in this high-latitude environment, while predators like Nanuqsaurus hoglundi, a smaller relative of T. rex, prowled the dark forests.

These animals were uniquely adapted to life in extreme conditions. Evidence from bone histology suggests that these dinosaurs had growth cycles influenced by the harsh Arctic climate—some may have hibernated or experienced slowed metabolism during the winter months.

Kirk Johnson’s research, alongside collaborators such as Tony Fiorillo and Roland Gangloff, has been central in understanding how these polar ecosystems worked. Johnson has led expeditions into the Arctic wilderness, collecting fossils and reconstructing ancient environments based on plant fossils, sedimentology, and isotope analysis.

Fossil Plants and Climate Clues

While dinosaurs grab the headlines, the fossilized flora of Alaska is equally important. Johnson is particularly renowned for his work on fossil plants, which he has used to reconstruct past climates and landscapes. In the Chickaloon Formation, for instance, fossilized leaves, cones, and wood fragments tell the story of an ancient rainforest-like environment that thrived just after the age of dinosaurs, during the Paleocene.

A paper of interest he co-authored with Dr. David J. Nichols—a distinguished paleobotanist and palynologist with the U.S. Geological Survey whose research significantly advanced the understanding of fossil pollen, spores, and Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary events. 

Over his career, Nichols became known for his expertise in using fossilized plant micro remains—such as pollen grains and spores—to reconstruct ancient ecosystems and trace climatic and environmental shifts through geologic time. 

His collaboration with Dr. Kirk Johnson on the Prince Creek Formation in northern Alaska combined his palynological skills with Johnson’s macrofossil plant research, providing a comprehensive view of Late Cretaceous polar flora and their ecological significance. 

Nichols’ meticulous work helped illuminate how vegetation patterns responded to ancient climate change and extinction events, making his contributions invaluable to studies of high-latitude paleoecology and Earth system history.

• Johnson, K. R., & Nichols, D. J. (2008). Plant fossils from the Prince Creek Formation, North Slope, Alaska: Implications for Late Cretaceous polar ecosystems. In: "Studies on Fossils in Arctic Environments." Geological Society of America Special Paper 442, pp. 155–170. DOI:10.1130/2008.442(10)

This paper documents high-latitude Cretaceous flora, revealing that Alaska once supported lush forests, with taxa such as Metasequoia (dawn redwood), ferns, and angiosperms flourishing under a warm polar regime. These fossils help scientists understand long-term climate dynamics and serve as analogs for future warming scenarios.

Marine Reptiles and Cretaceous Oceans

In southern Alaska, Jurassic and Cretaceous marine sediments have yielded remains of ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and large ammonites. These fossils suggest that Alaska’s ancient seas were home to thriving marine ecosystems. Fossil localities near the Talkeetna Mountains and along the southern coast contain rich assemblages of mollusks and marine reptiles, providing a window into life in northern marine ecosystems during the Mesozoic.

The Role of Citizen Science and Indigenous Knowledge

Much of Alaska’s fossil record has been unearthed through the combined efforts of scientists, local fossil hunters, and Indigenous knowledge holders. Collaborative research involving Native Alaskan communities, especially in regions like the North Slope, has been critical in facilitating fieldwork, protecting fossil sites, and sharing discoveries with local schools and museums.

Kirk Johnson: Bringing Alaska's Fossils to the Public

Kirk Johnson’s contributions extend beyond fieldwork. He is known for making paleontology accessible and engaging to the public. He co-authored Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway with artist Ray Troll, a visually wild and informative tour of North American paleontology, including Alaskan fossil stops. Johnson has also hosted PBS documentaries like Making North America, in which Alaskan geology and fossils play a key role. 

To get your copy of Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway, here is the link:  https://www.amazon.ca/Cruisin-Fossil-Freeway-Kirk-Johnson/dp/1555914519

Additional publications by Johnson and his work in Alaska include:

Johnson, K. R. (2002). A North American perspective on the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in terrestrial settings. Geological Society of America Special Paper 361.

Fiorillo, A. R., & Gangloff, R. A., & Johnson, K. R. (2000). The role of polar dinosaurs in Mesozoic ecosystems: A synthesis. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 20(3), 34A.

Alaska’s fossil record is one of the most compelling in the world, telling stories of survival and adaptation in the face of darkness, isolation, and dramatic climatic shifts. 

Whether it’s a duck-billed dinosaur enduring polar nights or a fossil leaf bearing witness to ancient greenhouse climates, each discovery contributes to our evolving understanding of Earth’s history. Thanks to scientists like Kirk Johnson and their ongoing efforts, we can explore these icy time capsules and better appreciate the deep-time legacy of the Last Frontier.

KIRK JOHNSON: FOSSIL LEAVES TO ANCIENT ECOSYSTEMS

Dr. Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, is a paleontologist, science communicator, and fossil enthusiast with a knack for making ancient life come alive—sometimes with a punchline. 

Known for his wide-ranging contributions to paleontology, his energetic public outreach, and his collaborative work with Alaskan artist Ray Troll, Johnson is a dynamic force in bringing prehistoric life into the public imagination.

Before taking the helm of one of the world’s premier natural history institutions, Johnson was a prolific field paleontologist. 

He earned his Ph.D. in geology and paleobotany from Yale University, but his fieldwork spans far beyond ivory towers and academic journals. 

His scientific contributions include extensive work on fossil plants and the reconstruction of ancient climates and ecosystems. Much of his research focuses on the time just before and after the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event, offering insight into how life recovered after the asteroid impact that ended the age of the dinosaurs.

One of Johnson’s most notable research projects took place at the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota, a hotspot for Late Cretaceous fossils. Here, he and colleagues studied the extinction horizon in unprecedented detail. Johnson helped reconstruct the rich ecosystems of the time, painting a vivid picture of a world teeming with dinosaurs, turtles, crocodiles, and flowering plants—right up until it was abruptly ended 66 million years ago.

The Troll-Johnson Dream Team

Science can be serious business, but it doesn’t have to be dry—and few partnerships prove this better than the one between Kirk Johnson and Ray Troll. Troll is a wildly imaginative Alaskan artist known for his “scientifically accurate yet deeply weird” art. 

Johnson and Troll first teamed up in the early 2000s, united by a shared love of fossils, fish, and the good old American road trip.

Together, they co-authored Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway and its sequel Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline, books that blend science, art, and humor in a joyful celebration of paleontology. These works chronicle their fossil-fueled road trips across North America, meeting eccentric collectors, legendary scientists, and discovering unexpected fossil treasures. 

The books are peppered with Troll’s surreal illustrations and Johnson’s breezy-yet-accurate scientific commentary.

One of the standout aspects of their collaboration is how it brings out the human side of paleontology. You get the science, sure, but also the obsessive collectors who can spot a trilobite from 20 yards away, and the museums tucked behind gas stations with dinosaur bones in the backyard. 

It’s a mix of deep time and roadside kitsch—a combination that’s both hilarious and oddly profound.

Humor in the Bone Pile

Despite his lofty position at the Smithsonian, Johnson hasn’t lost his sense of humor or sense of wonder. He’s been known to give lectures dressed in head-to-toe fossil-print suits and frequently drops fossil puns into conversations with a perfectly straight face. 

In one memorable public event, while discussing the deep-time perspective of human evolution, he paused and said, “We’ve been around for such a short amount of time that if the history of Earth were a calendar, all of human history would happen in the last few seconds of December 31. So yes, geologically speaking, you just got here—and you’re already rearranging the furniture.”

His blend of scholarship and showmanship has made him a staple on PBS programs such as NOVA, Making North America, and Polar Extremes, where he leads viewers on immersive journeys through time, across continents, and into prehistoric oceans. 

With the enthusiasm of a kid showing off their favorite rock, Johnson makes even the most complex paleoclimatic data feel like an adventure story.

Leading the Smithsonian into the Future

Since 2012, Johnson has served as the Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, one of the most visited science museums in the world. Under his leadership, the museum has revitalized its fossil halls, culminating in the stunning new David H. Koch Hall of Fossils – Deep Time, which reopened in 2019. 

This exhibit weaves 4.6 billion years of Earth’s history into a powerful narrative about evolution, extinction, and the role humans now play in shaping the planet’s future.

The exhibit doesn’t just show fossils—it tells stories. You’ll find dinosaur skeletons locked in combat, ancient mammal fossils displayed alongside their modern counterparts, and immersive displays that explain how everything from volcanoes to shifting continents has shaped life on Earth. 

It’s this kind of storytelling, infused with Johnson’s signature humor and clarity, that helps make Deep Time feel like our time. 

For a peek at the exhibits visit: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/factsheets/david-h-koch-hall-fossils-deep-time

Whether he’s digging up a 55-million-year-old palm leaf in Wyoming, cruising for fossils with Ray Troll in a beat-up van, or explaining climate change to a packed theater with jokes and jawbones in equal measure, Dr. Kirk Johnson is a rare kind of scientist. He’s not just interested in what the past can teach us—he’s committed to making that knowledge engaging, memorable, and meaningful.

And, if you ever catch him at a fossil event, be sure to ask him about the “world’s oldest fish fart.” Odds are, he’ll have a story—and a Ray Troll illustration—to go with it.

Join in for Kirk Johnson's Keynote Lecture at the 15th BCPA Symposium

Kirk is the Keynote speaker at the 15th BCPA Symposium in Courtenay, August 22-25, 2025. For tickets, head to:  https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/15th-bc-paleontological-symposium-2025-keynote-speaker-kirk-johnson-tickets-1025014525037

Fancy some late night reading? Check out some of Johnson's publications:

Johnson, K. R. & Troll, R. (2007). Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway: An Epoch Tale of a Scientist and an Artist on the Ultimate 5,000-Mile Paleo Road Trip. Fulcrum Publishing.

Johnson, K. R. & Troll, R. (2018). Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline: The Travels of an Artist and a Scientist along the Shores of the Prehistoric Pacific. Fulcrum Publishing.

Smithsonian Institution: https://naturalhistory.si.edu

PBS NOVA, Making North America and Polar Extremes (Available on PBS.org)

GHOST CATS OF THE AMERICAS: COUGARS

Cougar, Puma concolor

Cougars, also known as mountain lions, pumas, or panthers—depending on where you live—are among the most elusive and adaptable predators in the Western Hemisphere. 

Sleek, solitary, and powerful, these big cats have a long evolutionary history and play a crucial role in the ecosystems they inhabit, including the dense rainforests of Vancouver Island.

Cougars, Puma concolor, belong to the Felidae family, which includes all wild cats, big and small. Their ancestors originated in Eurasia, but the earliest true cougars appeared in North America around 6 million years ago, during the late Miocene epoch.

Fossil evidence suggests that the cougar lineage diverged from its closest relative—the cheetah—millions of years ago. Interestingly, genetic research has shown that cheetahs once roamed North America before going extinct there. 

Today’s cougar is a descendant of that shared lineage and is thought to have recolonised North America from South America following the extinction of native North American cats during the last Ice Age—about 10,000 years ago.

Cougars have one of the widest ranges of any terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Their habitat stretches from the Canadian Yukon all the way to the southern Andes in South America.

Despite this vast range, cougars are solitary and territorial animals, preferring rugged terrain, dense forests, or rocky mountains where they can stalk prey in relative seclusion. They are excellent climbers, swimmers, and can leap over 20 feet in a single bound.

Vancouver Island, off the coast of British Columbia, is home to one of the densest cougar populations in North America. Despite being separated from the mainland, cougars are thriving here thanks to the island’s abundant black-tailed deer population and remote, forested habitat.

On the north island, they are called badi, in Kwak'wala, the language spoken by my Kwakwaka'wakw family on my father's side.

There are some resident cougars in my neighbourhood on Vancouver Island. They hunt our small island deer, the Columbian black-tail deer. When we find the deer remains, there is generally a high overhang above the spot where they were taken down, suggesting that these were ambush kills. 

While 80-90% of their diet is deer, locals feast on raccoons, beavers, rabbits and rodents. And, interestingly, not the local cats and dogs. Our neighbour was driving home and saw one of the cougars nose to nose with her cat. It was a scene of curiosity but not predation.

Estimates vary, but wildlife biologists believe there are between 600 and 900 cougars on Vancouver Island. Given the island’s size (about 32,000 square kilometres), this is considered a high density for such a large predator.

Cougars are at the top of the island’s food chain. Wolves, which often compete with or challenge cougars on the mainland, are largely absent from the island. That, combined with plentiful prey, gives cougars a unique ecological niche here.

Though rarely seen by humans, cougars occasionally make headlines on the island due to their stealthy presence in rural or suburban areas. 

Cougars are not currently endangered, but they face growing pressures from habitat loss, road networks, and conflicts with humans. 

As apex predators, they play a vital role in keeping ecosystems balanced by controlling prey populations and influencing the behaviour of other species.

On Vancouver Island, conservationists and wildlife agencies monitor cougar populations and educate the public about coexistence. This includes safe hiking practices, securing livestock and pets, and respecting the wild spaces these animals need to survive. 

Fortunately, there are still vast tracks of forest and unpeopled places for them to wander and call home. Well, mostly unpeopled, as these are some of my favourite spots to hike as well.

MIGWAT: SLEEK, PLAYFUL SEALS

Seals—those sleek, playful creatures that glide through our oceans and lounge on rocky shores—are part of a remarkable evolutionary story stretching back millions of years. 

Though we often see them today basking on beaches or popping their heads above the waves, their journey through the fossil record reveals a dramatic tale of land-to-sea adaptation and ancient global wanderings.

Seals belong to a group of marine mammals called pinnipeds, which also includes sea lions and walruses. All pinnipeds share a common ancestry with terrestrial carnivores, and their closest living relatives today are bears and mustelids (like otters and weasels). Their ancestors walked on land before evolving to thrive in marine environments.

The fossil record suggests that pinnipeds first emerged during the Oligocene epoch, around 33 to 23 million years ago. These early proto-seals likely lived along coastal environments, where they gradually adapted to life in the water. Over time, their limbs transformed into flippers, their bodies streamlined, and their reliance on the sea for food and movement became complete.

In Kwak'wala, the language of the Kwakwaka'wakw of the Pacific Northwest, seals are known as migwat, and fur seals are referred to as xa'wa.

PORT HARDY: TIME AND TIDE

One of the most beautiful areas of Vancouver Island is the town of Port Hardy on the north end of the island. 

Just outside Port Hardy further south on the west coast is the area known as Fort Rupert or Tsaxis—my home community. 

It was here that the Hudson's Bay Company built Fort Rupert both for trade with the local First Nation population and the allure of potential coal deposits. 

I headed up to the north island this past week to stomp around my old haunts, visit with family and get in a bit of late season kayaking. The town was much as I remembered it. There have been changes, of course. I lived up on Wally's hill above the reserve at Tsaxis beside the old cemetery. 

My wee childhood home is still there and I am very pleased to see that the earthly home of my ancestors is well maintained. The cemetery is groomed and cared for but the land surrounding it is overgrown and it took me a few minutes to orient myself to see where things used to be. Where the old Hudson's Bay Company Fort and its iconic chimney were in relation to the graveyard. 

A lifetimes worth of memories came flooding back. Those from my earliest years and then later when I returned to kayak, fish and scuba dive in these rich waters.

My plans of blissful days kayaking and taking photos of the scenery were altered by hurricane-force winds. Still beautiful, but chilly and choppy.

The beachhead here was clocking 120 km winds so I did a brief visit to the homestead, the graveyard and Jokerville then headed home to light the fire and hunker in as the storm blew through. 

Port Harty and Fort Rupert have an interesting history and how you read it or hear it truly depends on the lens that is applied. This has been the ancestral home to many First Nation groups. Mostly they were passing through and coming here to dig up delicious butter clams, roots, berries and other natural yummy goodness. Years before Port Hardy was settled at the turn of the century it was the home to the Kwakiutl or Kwagu’ł and part of my heritage. 

Alec and Sarah Lyon operated a store and post office on the east side of Hardy Bay. A 1912 land deal promoted by the Hardy Bay Land Co., put the area on the map and increased its population. By 1914, 12 families had settled, built a school, sawmill, church and hotel. 

The community of Port Hardy is situated within traditional Kwagu’ł First Nation territory. It is also home to the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw First Nation. In 1964 all the First Nations communities were amalgamated and forced to relocate from their traditional territories by the federal government, for administrative reasons. 

The First Nation families were told that it would cost less for education, easier for medical help, and the government would help with housing, but it turned out to be a hidden agenda designed to assimilate the various groups into Canadian society — or face extermination. Several years of threats and promises later, the Gwa’sala and ‘Nakwaxda’xw reluctantly gave in to the relocation, but the government didn’t keep their promise for adequate housing. 

There were five homes for over 200 people on the Tsulquate Reservation. The Gwa’sala traditional territory is Smith Inlet and surrounding islands. ‘Nakwaxda’xw traditional territory is Seymour Inlet, the Deserter’s Group, Blunden Harbour, and surrounding islands.

There was limited access to the community until the logging road connecting Port Hardy to Campbell River was paved in December of 1979. As a child, travelling to visit my grandmother in Nanaimo meant eating eating dust behind logging trucks all the way from Hardy to Campbell doing about 40 kilometres an hour, then a stop at the Dairy Queen in Campbell River for a banana split, and on again on the old Island Highway.

Port Hardy’s population grew to a little over 5,000 residents during the Island Copper Mine years (1971-1995). The former mine site is located 16 kilometres south of Port Hardy on the shores of Rupert Inlet. The open-pit porphyry copper mine employed over 900 employees from Port Hardy and the surrounding communities. Today, the former mine has been transformed into a wildlife habitat and pit lake biological treatment system (BHP Copper Inc., 2010). The Quatsino First Nation manage the property and their Economic Development Board is exploring options for its use. 

The Quatsino First Nations have conducted several feasibility studies around the implementation of a puck or brickett mill onsite, utilizing the existing infrastructure, which includes six industrial buildings.

Today, Port Hardy serves as the crossroads for air, ferry and marine transportation networks, and serves as the gateway to the fast-growing Central Coast, the Cape Scott and North Coast Trails, and BC Ferry’s northern terminus for the Discovery Coast run and Prince Rupert. It supports several traditional and emerging sectors and remains rich in natural resources and community spirit.

Every corner of the Port Hardy region is enriched with culture and history. Starting with the two welcome poles in Carrot Park, both carved and replicated by Calvin Hunt, a Kwagu’ł artist who is based in Tsax̱is. 

From here and along the seawall are interpretive signs with Kwak’wala words for various wildlife, such as salmon, bear, wolf, and orca. At the end of this walk is Tsulquate Park. 

From here you can see across Queen Charlotte Strait; the ocean highway and lands of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw. Port Hardy was named after Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy (5 April 1769 – 20 September 1839) who served as the captain of H.M.S. Victory in the Royal Navy. 

He served at the Battle of Trafalgar and held Lord Nelson at the end of that battle where Nelson died in his arms. Though he never visited this island community, it bears his name today. 

A ten-minute drive from downtown Port Hardy, in the neighbouring community of Fort Rupert, is the village of Tsax̱is. This is the current home of the Kwagu’ł First Nation. Here lies elaborated totem poles and the big house; a venue where First Nations ceremonies take place, such as the potlatch. 

The potlatch is a First Nations constitution that determines our politics, our government, our education, our medicine, our territory, and our jurisdiction. Potlatch is a complex event with several ceremonies, which are still practiced in buildings like the Tsax̱is big house.

On the front porch of the village of Tsax̱is is Tayaguł (Storey’s Beach). Along this waterfront were several villages, which are depicted on map (pictured below) by Mervyn Child, a Kwagu’ł artist. 

Across the way and middle of K’ak’a (Beaver Harbour) are Atłanudzi (Cattle Island), Ḵ’ut’sa̱dze (Peel Island), Ḵ’a̱msa̱x̱tłe (Shell Island), and Uxwiwe’ (Deer Island). Once the words are broken down and translated; the names of these islands are unique to their environment, as they’re part of a story that belongs to the Kwagu’ł.

Where: Port Hardy, British Columbia. 50°43'27"N, 127°29'52"W

FOSSIL HUNTRESS PODCAST

Close your eyes & fly with me as we head out together to explore Earth's rich history written in her rock. Travel to extraordinary places, sacred sites & unearth mysteries millions of years old on the Fossil Huntress Podcast.

This stream is for those who share an enduring passion for our world's hidden treasures, its wild places & want to uncover her beauty stone by stone. This is the story of the making of our Earth and the many wonderful creatures who have called it home. 

Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of palaeontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs.

​Learn about the interwoven disciplines of natural history, ecology, geology, conservation & stewardship of our world. To listen to the stories of the Earth, visit: https://open.spotify.com/show/1hH1wpDFFIlYC9ZW5uTYVL

GULLS ON THE FORESHORE: TSIK'WI

A gull cries in protest at not getting his share of a meal

Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. 

The Laridae are known from not-yet-published fossil evidence from the Early Oligocene — 30–33 million years ago. 

Three gull-like species were described by Alphonse Milne-Edwards from the early Miocene of Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France. 

Another fossil gull from the Middle to Late Miocene of Cherry County, Nebraska, USA, has been placed in the prehistoric genus Gaviota. 

These fossil gulls, along with undescribed Early Oligocene fossils are all tentatively assigned to the modern genus Larus. Among those of them that have been confirmed as gulls, Milne-Edwards' "Larus" elegans and "L." totanoides from the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of southeast France have since been separated in Laricola.

Gulls are most closely related to the terns in the family Sternidae and only distantly related to auks, skimmers and distantly to waders. 

A historical name for gulls is mews, which is cognate with the German möwe, Danish måge, Swedish mås, Dutch meeuw, Norwegian måke/måse and French mouette. We still see mews blended into the lexicon of some regional dialects.

In the Kwak̓wala language of the Kwakwaka'wakw, speakers of Kwak'wala, of the Pacific Northwest, gulls are known as t̕sik̕wi. Most folk refer to gulls from any number of species as seagulls. This name is a local custom and does not exist in the scientific literature for their official naming. Even so, it is highly probable that it was the name you learned for them growing up.

If you have been to a coastal area nearly everywhere on the planet, you have likely encountered gulls. They are the elegantly plumed but rather noisy bunch on any beach. You will recognize them both by their size and colouring. 

Gulls are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They typically have harsh shrill cries and long, yellow, curved bills. Their webbed feet are perfect for navigating the uneven landscape of the foreshore when they take most of their meals. 

Most gulls are ground-nesting carnivores that take live food or scavenge opportunistically, particularly the Larus species. Live food often includes crab, clams (which they pick up, fly high and drop to crack open), fish and small birds. Gulls have unhinging jaws which allow them to consume large prey which they do with gusto. 

Their preference is to generally live along the bountiful coastal regions where they can find food with relative ease. Some prefer to live more inland and all rarely venture far out to sea, except for the kittiwakes. 

The larger species take up to four years to attain full adult plumage, but two years is typical for small gulls. Large white-headed gulls are typically long-lived birds, with a maximum age of 49 years recorded for the herring gull.

Gulls nest in large, densely packed, noisy colonies. They lay two or three speckled eggs in nests composed of vegetation. The young are precocial, born with dark mottled down and mobile upon hatching. Gulls are resourceful, inquisitive, and intelligent, the larger species in particular, demonstrating complex methods of communication and a highly developed social structure. Many gull colonies display mobbing behaviour, attacking and harassing predators and other intruders. 

Certain species have exhibited tool-use behaviour, such as the herring gull, using pieces of bread as bait with which to catch goldfish. Many species of gulls have learned to coexist successfully with humans and have thrived in human habitats. Others rely on kleptoparasitism to get their food. Gulls have been observed preying on live whales, landing on the whale as it surfaces to peck out pieces of flesh. They are keen, clever and always hungry.

EXPLORING WRANGELLIA: HAIDA GWAII

Misty shores, moss covered forests, a rich cultural history, dappled light, fossils and the smell of salt air—these are my memories of Haida Gwaii.

The archipelago of Haida Gwaii lays at the western edge of the continental shelf due west of the central coast of British Columbia.

They form part of Wrangellia, an exotic tectonostratigraphic terrane that includes Vancouver Island, parts western British Columbia and Alaska.

The Geological Survey of Canada sponsored many expeditions to these remote islands and has produced numerous reference papers on this magnificent terrain, exploring both the geology and palaeontology of the area.

Joseph Whiteaves, the GSC's chief palaeontologist in Ottawa, published a paper in 1876 describing the Jurassic and Cretaceous faunas of Skidegate Inlet, furthering his reputation globally as both a geologist, palaeontologist as well as a critical thinker in the area of science.

The praise was well-earned and foreshadowed his significant contributions to come. Sixteen years later, he wrote up and published his observations on a strange Mount Stephen fossil that resembled a kind of headless shrimp with poorly preserved appendages. 

Because of the unusual pointed shape of the supposed ventral appendages and the position of the spines near the posterior of the animal, Whiteaves named it Anomalocaris canadensis. The genus name "Anomalocaris" means "unlike other shrimp" and the species name "canadensis" refers to the country of origin.

Whiteaves work on the palaeontology of Haida Gwaii provided excellent reference tools, particularly his work on the Cretaceous exposures and fauna that can be found there.

One of our fossil field trips was to the ruggedly beautiful Cretaceous exposures of Lina Island. We had planned this expedition as part of our “trips of a lifetime.” 

Both John Fam, the Vice Chair of the Vancouver Paleontological Society and Dan Bowen, the Chair of both the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance and Vancouver Island Palaeontological Society, can be congratulated for their efforts in researching the area and ably coordinating a warm welcome by the First Nations community and organizing fossil field trips to some of the most amazing fossil localities in the Pacific Northwest.

With great sandstone beach exposures, the fossil-rich (Albian to Cenomanian) Haida formation provided ample specimens, some directly in the bedding planes and many in concretion. Many of the concretions contained multiple specimens of typical Haida Formation fauna, providing a window into this Cretaceous landscape.

It is always interesting to see who was making a living and co-existing in our ancient oceans at the time these fossils were laid down. We found multiple beautifully preserved specimens of the spiny ammonite, Douvelleiceras spiniferum along with Brewericeras hulenense, Cleoniceras perezianum and many cycads in concretion.

Douvelliceras spiniferum, Cretaceous Haida Formation

Missing from this trip log are tales of Rene Savenye, who passed away in the weeks just prior. While he wasn't there in body, he was with us in spirit. I thought of him often on the mist-shrouded days of collecting. 

Many of the folk on who joined me on those outcrops were friends of Rene's and would go on to receive the Rene Savenye Award for their contributions to palaeontology. There is a certain poetry in that. 

The genus Douvilleiceras range from Middle to Late Cretaceous and can be found in Asia, Africa, Europe and North and South America. 

We have beautiful examples in the early to mid-Albian from the archipelago of Haida Gwaii in British Columbia. Joseph F. Whiteaves was the first to recognize the genus from Haida Gwaii when he was looking over the early collections of James Richardson and George Dawson.

My collections from Haida Gwaii will all be lovingly prepped and donated to the Haida Gwaii Museum in Skidegate, British Columbia.

NASAL SACS AND CHILLY WATERS: HOODED SEALS

If you frequent the eastern coast of North America north of Maine to the western tip of Europe, along the coast of Norway near Svalbard you may have glimpsed one of their chubby, dark silver-grey and white residents. 

Hooded seals, Cystophora cristata, are large phocid seals in the family Phocidae, who live in some of the chilliest places on Earth, from 47° to 80° N in latitude. 

These skilled divers are mainly concentrated around Bear Island, Norway, Iceland, and northeast Greenland. 

In rare cases, we find them in the icy waters in Siberia. They usually dive depths of 600 m (1,968 ft) in search of fishy treats but can go as deep as 1000 m (3,280 ft) when needed. That is deep into the cold, dark depths of our oceans. Sunlight entering the sea may travel as deep as 1,000 m (3,280 ft) under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light beyond 200 meters (656 ft). This is the dark zone and the place we find our bioluminescent friends. 

Hooded seals have a sparse fossil record. One of the first fossils found was a Pliocene specimen from Anvers, Belgium discovered in 1876. In 1983 a paper was published claiming there were some fossils found in North America thought to be from Cystophora cristata. Of the three accounts, the most creditable discovery was from a sewer excavation in Maine, the northeasternmost U.S. state, known for its rocky coastline, maritime history and nature areas like the granite and spruce islands of Acadia National Park. A scapula and humeri were found among other bones and thought to date to the post-Pleistocene. 

Of two other accounts, one was later reassigned to another species and the other left unsolved. (Folkow, et al., 2008; Kovacs and Lavigne, 1986; Ray, 1983)

The seals are typically silver-grey or white in colour, with black spots that vary in size covering most of the body. 

Hooded seal pups are known as, Blue-backs as their coats are blue-grey on the back with whitish bellies, though this coat is shed after 14 months of age when the pups moult.

FIRST NATION, INUIT, METIS, MI'KMAQ L'NU

In the Kwak̓wala language of the Kwakwaka'wakw, speakers of Kwak'wala, of the Pacific Northwest, seal are known as migwat — and fur seals are known as x̱a'wa.

Hooded seals live primarily on drifting pack ice and in deep water in the Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic. Although some drift away to warmer regions during the year their best survival rate is in colder climates. They can be found on four distinct areas with pack ice: near Jan Mayen Island, northeast of Iceland; off Labrador and northeastern Newfoundland; the Gulf of St. Lawrence; and the Davis Strait, off midwestern Greenland. 

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador is home to the Inuit, the Innu, the Mi'kmaq L'nu and the Southern Inuit of NunatuKavut, formerly the Labrador Inuit-Metis. The Hooded Seals that visit their traditional territory were a welcome source of food and clothing. In Mi'kmaw, the language spoken in Mi'kma'ki, the territory of the Mi'kmaq L'nu, the word for seal is waspu.

HOODED SEAL HABITAT

Males are localized around areas of complex seabeds, such as Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, and the Flemish Cap. Females concentrate their habitat efforts primarily on shelf areas, such as the Labrador Shelf. 

Females reach the age of sexual maturity between two and nine years old and it is estimated that most females give birth to their first young at around five years of age. Males reach sexual maturity a little later around four to six years old but often do not mate until much later. Females give birth to one young at a time through March and April. The gestation period is 240 to 250 days. 

Blue-back, Hooded Seal Pup

During this time the fetus, unlike those of other seals, sheds its lanugo — a covering of fine soft hair that is replaced by thicker pelage — in the uterus. 

These young are precocious and at birth are able to move about and swim with ease. They are independent and left to fend for themselves immediately after they have been weaned.

Hooded seals are known to be a highly migratory species that often wander long distances, as far west as Alaska and as far south as the Canary Islands and Guadeloupe. 

Prior to the mid-1990s, hooded seal sightings in Maine and the east Atlantic were rare but began increasing in the mid-1990s. From January 1997 to December 1999, a total of 84 recorded sightings of hooded seals occurred in the Gulf of Maine, one in France and one in Portugal. 

From 1996 to 2006, five strandings and sightings were noted near the Spanish coasts in the Mediterranean Sea. There is no scientific explanation for the increase in sightings and range of the hooded seal.

Cystophora means "bladder-bearer" in Greek and pays homage to this species' inflatable bladder septum on the heads of adult males. The bladder hangs between the eyes and down over the upper lip in a deflated state. 

The hooded seal can inflate a large balloon-like sac from one of its nostrils. This is done by shutting one nostril valve and inflating a membrane, which then protrudes from the other nostril. 

I was thinking of Hooded seals when contemplating the nasal bladders of Prosaurolophus maximum, large-headed duckbill dinosaurs, or hadrosaurid, in the ornithischian family Hadrosauridae. Perhaps both species used these bladders in a similar manner — to warn predators and attract mates.

Hooded seals are known for their uniquely elastic nasal cavity located at the top of their head, also known as the hood. Only males possess this display-worthy nasal sac, which they begin to develop around the age of four. The hood begins to inflate as the seal makes its initial breath prior to going underwater. It then begins to repetitively deflate and inflate as the seal is swimming. 

The purpose of this is acoustic signaling. It occurs when the seal feels threatened and attempt to ward off hostile species when competing for resources such as food and shelter. It also serves to communicate their health and superior status to both other males and females they are attempting to attract. 

In sexually mature males, a pinkish balloon-like nasal membrane comes out of the left nostril to further aid it in attracting a mate. This membrane, when shaken, is able to produce various sounds and calls depending on whether the seal is underwater or on land. Most of these acoustic signals are used in an acoustic situation (about 79%), while about 12% of the signals are used for sexual purposes.

References: Ray, C. 1983. Hooded Seal, Cystophora cristata: Supposed Fossil Records in North America. American Society of Mammalogists, Vol. 64 No. 3: 509-512; Cystophora cristata, Hooded Seal", 2007; "Seal Conservation Society", 2001; Kovacs and Lavigne, 1986.

Mi'kmaq Online Dictionary: https://www.mikmaqonline.org/servlet/dictionaryFrameSet.html?method=showCategory&arg0=animal

BRONZE BEAUTY: EIFELIAN PARALEJURUS

This bronzed beauty is the Middle Devonian, Eifelian (~395 mya) trilobite, Paralejurus rehamnanus (Alberti, 1970) from outcrops near Issoumour, Alnif, Morocco in North Africa. 

It was the colour of this amazing trilobite that captured the eye of David Appleton in whose collection it now resides. He is an avid collector and coming into his own as a macro photographer. I have shared three of his delightful photos for you here.

It initially thought that the gold we see here was added during prep, particularly considering the colouration of the matrix, but macro views of the surface show mineralization and the veins running right through the specimen into the matrix. There is certainly some repairs but that is common in the restoration of these specimens. Many of the trilobites I have seen from Morocco have bronze on black colouring but not usually this pronounced. Even so, there is a tremendous amount of fine anatomy to explore and enjoy in this wonderfully preserved specimen.  

Paralejurus is a genus of trilobite in the phylum Arthropoda from the Late Silurian to the Middle Devonian of Africa and Europe. These lovelies grew to be up to nine centimetres, though the fellow you see here is a wee bit over half that size at 5.3 cm. 

Paralejurus specimens are very pleasing to the eye with their long, oval outline and arched exoskeletons. 

Their cephalon or head is a domed half circle with a smooth surface.  The large facet eyes have very pleasing crescent-shaped lids. You can see this rather well in the first of the photos here. The detail is quite remarkable.

As you move down from his head towards the body, there is an almost inconspicuous occipital bone behind the glabella in the transition to his burnt bronze thorax.

The body or thorax has ten narrow segments with a clearly arched and broad axial lobe or rhachis. The pygidium is broad, smooth and strongly fused in contrast to the genus Scutellum in the family Styginidae, which has a pygidium with very attractive distinct furrows that I liken to the look of icing ridges on something sweet — though that may just be me and my sweet tooth talking. In Paralejurus, they look distinctly fused — or able to fuse — to add posterior protection against predators with both the look and function of Roman armour.

In Paralejurus, the axillary lobe is rounded off and arched upwards. It is here that twelve to fourteen fine furrows extend radially to complete the poetry of his body design. 

Trilobites were amongst the earliest fossils with hard skeletons and they come in many beautiful forms. While they are extinct today, they were the dominant life form at the beginning of the Cambrian. 

As a whole, they were amongst some of the most successful of all early animals — thriving and diversifying in our ancient oceans for almost 300 million years. The last of their brethren disappeared at the end of the Permian — 252 million years ago. Now, we enjoy their beauty and the scientific mysteries they reveal about our Earth's ancient history.

Photos and collection of the deeply awesome David Appleton. Specimen: 5.3 cm. 

SKØKKENMØDDINGER: CaCO3(s) + 2HCl(aq) → CaCl2(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l)

Johnny Scow's Kwakwaka'wakw Kwakiutl House, 1918

Many First Nations sites were inhabited continually for centuries. Some were winter sites and some used in summer. 

The day-to-day activities of each of these communities were much like we have today. Babies were born, meals were served and life followed a natural cycle. 

As coastal societies lived their lives they also left their mark. There are many communities thriving today but we have lost some to time, disuse, plague and disease. 

For those that have been abandoned or gone quiet, we see the remnants of a once thriving village through their totems, skeletons of buildings—and most always through discarded shells and scraps of bone from their food.

These refuse heaps contain a wealth of information about how that community lived, what they ate and what environmental conditions looked like over time. They also provide insight into the local gastronomic record on diet, species diversity, availability and variation.

This physical history provides a wonderful resource for archaeologists in search of botanical material, artifacts, broken cooking implements and my personal favourite, mollusc shells. Especially those formed from enormous mounds of bivalves and clams. We call these middens. Left for a period of time, these unwanted dinner scraps transform through a process of preservation.

Shell middens are found in coastal or lakeshore zones all over the world. Consisting mostly of mollusc shells, they are interpreted as being the waste products of meals eaten by nomadic groups or hunting parties. Some are small examples relating to meals had by a handful of individuals, others are many metres in length and width and represent centuries of shell deposition. In Brazil, they are known as sambaquis, left between the 6th millennium BCE and the beginning of European colonization.

European shell middens are primarily found along the Atlantic seaboard and in Denmark from the 5th millennium BCE (Ertebølle and Early Funnel Beaker cultures), containing the remains of the earliest Neolithisation process (pottery, cereals and domestic animals).

Younger shell middens are found in Latvia (associated with Comb Ware ceramics), Sweden (associated with Pitted Ware ceramics), the Netherlands (associated with Corded Ware ceramics) and Schleswig-Holstein (Late Neolithic and Iron Age). All these are examples where communities practised a mixed farming and hunting/gathering economy.

On Canada's west coast, there are shell middens that run for more than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) along the coast and are several meters deep. The midden in Namu, British Columbia is over 9 metres (30 ft) deep and spans over 10,000 years of continuous occupation.

Shell middens created in coastal regions of Australia by Indigenous Australians exist in Australia today. Middens provide evidence of prior occupation and are generally protected from mining and other developments. One must exercise caution in deciding whether one is examining a midden or a beach mound. There are good examples on the Freycinet Peninsula in Tasmania where wave action currently is combining charcoal from forest fire debris with a mix of shells into masses that storms deposit above high-water mark.

Shell mounds near Weipa in far north Queensland are claimed to be middens but are actually shell cheniers, beach ridges re-worked by nest mound-building birds. The midden below is from Santa Cruz, Argentina. We can thank Mikel Zubimendi for the photo.

Some shell middens are regarded as sacred sites, such as the middens of the Anbarra of the Burarra from Arnhem Land, a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia —  a vast wilderness of rivers, rocky escarpments, gorges and waterfalls.

The Danish use the term køkkenmøddinger, coined by Japetus Steenstrup, a Danish zoologist and biologist, to describe shell heaps and continues to be used by some researchers.

So what about these ancient shells is so intriguing? Well, many things, not the least being their ability to preserve the past. Shells have a high calcium carbonate content.

Calcium carbonate is one of my favourite chemical compounds. It is commonly found in rocks —  as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably as limestone, which is a type of sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcite —  and is the main component of pearls, snails, eggs and the shells of marine organisms. 

About 4% of the Earth's crust is made from calcium carbonate. It forms beautiful marbles and the 70 million-year-old White Cliffs of Dover — calcium carbonate as chalk made from the skeletons of ancient algae.

Time and pressure leach the calcium carbonate, CaCO3, from the surrounding marine shells and help embalm bone and antler artifacts that would otherwise decay. Much of what we know around the modification of natural objects into tools comes from this preservation. The calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the discarded shells tends to make the middens alkaline, slowing the normal rate of decay caused by soil acidity and leaving a relatively high proportion of organic material —  food remnants, organic tools, clothing, human remains — to sift through and study.

Calcium carbonate shares the typical properties of other carbonates. In prepping fossil specimens embedded in limestone, it is useful to know that limestone, itself a carbonate sedimentary rock, reacts with stronger acids. If you paint the specimen with hydrochloric acid, you'll hear a little fizzling sound as the limestone melts and carbon dioxide is released: CaCO3(s) + 2HCl(aq) → CaCl2(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l). I tend to use a 3-5 molar solution, then rinse with plain water.

Calcium carbonate reacts with water saturated with carbon dioxide to form the soluble calcium bicarbonate. Bone already contains calcium carbonate, as well as calcium phosphate, Ca2, but it is also made of protein, cells and living tissue. 

Decaying bone acts as a sort of natural sponge that wicks in the calcium carbonate displaced from the shells. As protein decays inside the bone, it is replaced by the incoming calcium carbonate, making the bone harder and more durable.

I collected trade beads and treasures on the beachfront below the magnificent house you see in the first photo, but also found bits of bone and scraps of history of coastal living. I also collected many wonderful abalone buttons and wonderful shells.  

The shells, beautiful in their own right, make the surrounding soil more alkaline, helping to preserve the bone and turn dinner scraps into exquisite scientific specimens for future generations.