Dispatches from the field: Baja California, Pt. 3.5

Almost forgot about this. One of the interesting things that we see when we walk along the shores of the Pacific Ocean in this region is marine vegetation that has washed on the shore.

To the left (in green) is Zostera a seagrass which is widely distributed across the world, including Baja California. Kelp, the long brown one (with the Zostera tangled in its base), is a brown algae that also grows in this region.

Dugongid sirenian, which inhabited this region during the early Miocene most likely ate a variety of marine vegetation. Species, like the dugongine Dioplotherium allisoni, probably fed on seagrasses, whereas the hydrodamaline Dusisiren reinharti, likely fed on kelp, both species are known from the . So the interesting thing is that nowadays we still find the same, or at least very similar, food source that these sirenians used. So the seacows are gone, but the food remains the same.

Previous entries in this series:

Dispatches from the field: Baja California, Pt. 1

Dispatches from the field: Baja California, Pt. 2

Dispatches from the field: Baja California, Pt. 3

Fieldwork in Baja California was made possible through an NSF EAR grant to D. P. Domning & L. G. Barnes. The text in these posts reflect my own opinion and not those of the granting agency or institutions to which I’m affiliated.