Analysis of the remains indicate they were buried in fresh water, probably by a flood, in an environment where little or no mineralization could undermine the organic integrity of the trees, cones, twigs, leaf litters, boles and roots. Two trees dominated the ancient swamp forest at Axel Heiberg Metasequoia or dawn redwood, and Glyptostrobus, the swamp cypress. It was a relatively dry floodplain that occupied most of the region s terrain. Estimating temperatures that occurred some 45 million years ago is itself a daunting task. How plants adapted to such stressful conditions is a mystery because there is really nothing to compare it to in the modern world.
Scientists are just as intrigued by the wildlife that existed.
Evidence of mammalian life has been extremely scanty, owing to the acidity that the coniferous trees induced to the soils. The presence of this creature is consistent with other similarly aged finds on Ellesmere Island. Like most scientists, Basinger approaches his studies with a dispassionate eye. Maybe it s because I m part of a different breed of scientists. Paleontologists, by nature, never lose their ability to wonder.