I was a little geologist today.
We started off the morning at a secluded gulley within Olduvai Gorge. Wet season erosion uncovered new material from the gulley’s outcrop, which we surveyed for teeth from the L.A.S. layer – a strata representing ~1.5 million years ago. We scrounged for a couple hours before taking our samples to the Olduvai Museum.
Students Surveying the Gulley
At the Museum, Dr. Manuel taught us the basics of tooth identification. Using our newfound knowledge, we attempted to identify our findings. I collected 8 specimens, 3 of which were identifiable to their exact species. I collected two molars of the extinct Parmularius Altidens, one buffalo molar, two incisors belonging to some type of herbivore, and one canine belonging to the equid genus. It is BAFFLING to think that these teeth haven’t been in use for 1.5 million years. Absurd.
1.5 Mya Parmularius Altidens Tooth
After lunch, everyone had the privilege of hearing my presentation on ecomorphology. I hope it was the most exciting part of everyone’s day!
We visited the Mary Leaky Living Museum after student presentations. Mary Leaky and her husband, Lewis Leaky, discovered Olduvai Gorge as a paleo archeological site in the 1950s. Some of their sites have actually been re-opened by Dr. Manuel’s team. Going through the museum, we got to see many fossils which had been excavated at the gorge and stored in the Leaky’s lab; Dr. Prendergast kept pointing at boxes and saying “Look! That’s my handwriting!” …Imagine walking through a museum and recognizing your own handwriting on the displays. I was just in awe.
Fossils Stored at the Leaky Lab
At the end of the day, we returned to camp for a guest lecture from Dr. Charles, a professor at UNC Greensboro who has been working with Dr. Manuel at Olduvai since 2014. He does work comparing predation in different environments, hoping to understand carnivore behavior and competition.
I really appreciate that I’ve been exposed to so many different projects. I feel like I have a much stronger understanding of ecological research and field work. It’s insane to remember that this is a class — I feel like I’ve been tricked into learning, except the “trick” is just having an awesome time.
After evening lectures, we returned to our tents for another cozy night. Goodnight!
