The land of today's Isle of Wight was once much further south than it is today, with warmer, seasonal temperatures and plenty of rainfall. Sweetman, however, has found geological evidence suggesting that, as in many forests today, blazing fires would sometimes sweep through the region, leaving behind charred animal remains. Floods also appear to have been frequent. But it was this "chaotic mixture" of events that led to decomposition of plant material contained in the island sediments that took oxygen out of the system, "a major factor in favor of the preservation of bones." David Martill, a University of Portsmouth dinosaur authority who has also conducted research on the Isle of Wight, said, "Steve has become internationally recognized as a leading expert in his field and has many more exciting discoveries yet to be announced. He has already discovered 48 new species and he hasn't even started on the fish." Although Sweetman has authored some journal papers documenting his discoveries, he still has many more to write, a project he is tackling now. "However," he said, "I am still sieving samples and new things keep turning up, so this is probably enough of a project to keep me busy for the foreseeable future." Related Links: Jennifer Viegas' Blog: Born Animal HowStuffWorks.com: Dinosaur Reproduction Treehugger: 10 Endangered Animals That Aren't in the Spotlight, But Should Be |
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