Fossils, Big and Small

Transcription

1 There, inside this fiery stone, was a perfect, ancient insect. Fossils, Big and Small by Sue Hendrickson Dominican Republic In 1974, I travelled with a group of divers to work on a historical shipwreck off the coast of the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, because we would have to wait two years for a proper permit, we never got to work on that wreck. Still, I will always be glad that I took the trip. It introduced me to one of my favourite places on Earth. Bayahibe Beach, Dominican Republic

2 Large planthopper preserved in a drop of amber The Dominican Republic lies about 1280 kilometres southeast of Florida. I remember thinking that I had found paradise when I arrived there. Calm breezes, beaches with fine sand and crystal blue water, and truly lovely people surrounded me. I fell in love with this country, and I returned every chance I got. On one of these trips, I decided to go to the mountains with a group of friends. We had spent three weeks diving in different parts of the country, and we thought it would be fun to get out of the water for a change. Amber The mountains of the Dominican Republic are famous for their amber mines. You may have seen amber in pieces ofjewellery or at museums. It is a clear, orange-yellow substance that comes from tree sap or resin. When the resin hardens and becomes buried in the Earth's crust, it sometimes preserves the tiniest forms of prehistoric life. On the day of my visit to the amber mine, one of the miners showed me such a piece of amber. There, inside this fiery stone, was a perfect, ancient insect. Seeing the insect was almost like looking at a photograph taken 23 million years ago. This perfectly preserved little creature represented an entire world captured inside a single piece of amber. The very thought amazed me, and I was hooked.

3 Primitive termite I began reading everything I could get my hands on about amber. I returned to the mines countless times, looking through the thousands of pieces of amber the miners had found for ones with insects inside them. I would buy the best ones and sell them, usually to museums. Looking back, I probably lost more money than I made! But finding those special pieces is what mattered most to me. which ones would be important to scientists. Over the years, I have provided many museums and universities with amber fossils. I have even found three of the six known examples of butterflies preserved in amber. The museum scientists study these fossils and are able to piece together what life was like millions of years ago. I love that I can play a part in that incredible learning process! Though my introduction to fossils began with the tiniest of creatures, I soon moved on to Learning From Fossils After a while, I became quite a good amateur entomologist, or person who studies insects. I began to recognize the different species of insects in the amber and to know Nymph of a rare praying mantis

4 Josefina whale fossil found in Atacama Desert, Peru bigger life forms much bigger life forms. While working with amber, I met a man named Kirby Siber. Kirby is a paleontologist, a scientist who studies fossils. He asked me to join him on a dig for whale fossils in Peru, a country on the west coast of South America. We would be searching for fossils in a desert that had been the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago. The work would

5 combine my two loves: the ocean and fossils. How could I resist? I worked six winters in the deserts of Peru. Our group uncovered enormous whale fossils, as well as fossils of seals and dolphins. And it was in Peru that I met the man who would introduce me to my next fossil adventure dinosaurs! amber Glossary A hard clear orange-yellow substance used for making ornaments entomologist (en-tuh-mol-uh-jist) A person who studies insects fossil The remains of a prehistoric plant or animal that has been in the ground a long time and become hardened in rock paleontologist (PAY-lee-on-TALL-o-jist) A scientist who studies fossils resin A sticky substance that comes from plants Large inchworm moth. This specimen, with a wingspan of nearly three inches (7.5 cm), is the largest fossil lepidopteran in amber.