A fossil skeleton that helps to explain how seals and walruses developed flippers has been discovered in the Canadian Arctic, shedding light on the mammals' transition from land to water. The otter-like creature, which lived about 23 million years ago, fills an important gap in the fossil record, showing how seals and their cousins evolved from small carnivores that hunted on land and in water. It has been named after Charles Darwin, because it fulfills a prediction that he made 150 years ago. (source: timesonline.co.uk)
|
