Allodesmus

The Sea Lion Ancestor
Submitted by Ben Nafus
Paleo Artwork By Ben Nafus

The earliest seal-like pinnipeds appeared approximately 30 million years ago, during the late Oligocene epoch, in northern European streams and lakes. They developed from an early dog/bear lineage of terrestrial animals and may have resembled very large otters. From Europe there they spread across the oceans to North America and the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. An almost-complete skeleton of Enaliarctos, the ancestor to modern seals and sea lions and to Allodesmus, an extinct sea lion genus, was discovered in Northern California. Allodesmus looked much like modern sea lions, but had some important differences that made it less well suited to its environment. For example, Allodesmus had large eyes, which helped it see underwater, but, unlike sea lions, its ears were unsuited for hearing underwater. Allodesmus declined into extinction about 10 million years ago.

Judging by the number of Allodesmus fossils found in the local Sharktooth Hill bone bed, large numbers of the animal lived in this area during the Middle Miocene (13.5 to 15 million years ago). But it was not alone; abundant fossil evidence such as shark teeth shows the area teemed with sharks and other marine life, while a multitude of bones tell us the land and sky supported everything from elephants to pelicans. Petrified remains demonstrate that plant life ranged from upland oaks to palm trees to swamp cattails and rushes. Browsers, grazers, omnivores, and carnivores--all thrived in a lush, semi-tropical ecosystem more like the Amazonian rainforest than the current semi-arid climate of Bakersfield.

To view pictures of Allodesmus fossils we have on display at the museum, visit our Paleontology page.

Donations are tax deductible
Click on the Cymbospondylus for more information

Web Master: Sherry Pauley
webmaster@sharktoothhill.com

Internet service connection courtesy of:
DataCourse Internet Solutions
Link will open a new browser window.