Comments on: Puijila, the walking seal – a beautiful transitional fossil

By: Zach Miller

Zach Miller — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:36:02 +0000

SteveF, here's how quickly the process can happen. Now, granted, it's still a lizards (as PZ laments), but if a carnivorous lizard can become not only herbivorous but develop specific gut adaptations to deal with heavy herbivory in 30-odd years, I mean...it happens pretty quickly.

By: MattK

MattK — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:49:14 +0000

SteveF, I suggest that you hold your breath while you wait. I hear that it helps.

By: SteveF

SteveF — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:31:52 +0000

I’m definitely not a creationist but neither do I believe the evolution stuff. The handy thing about creationists is the excellent ways they show the fallacy of the evolutionists. If macro evolution exist, we would see the process today with animals that transverse to other types of animals. I’m still waiting on a much better theory.

By: Sanjo in Canada

Sanjo in Canada — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:58:54 +0000

Um, yeah… I too am quite confident that A lurker’s comment was tongue-in-cheek. I would also note the use of quotes – “Answers” in Genesis XD And not all religious people are creationist nutbars… Clifford is cool though. Well anyway. Thanks to the author for this great article. This is really exciting!

By: MartinB

MartinB — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:39:27 +0000

Dave, I think the use of words like “quote mining” and the final statement should make it clear that A lurker did not agree with the link he posted.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:15:24 +0000

Wow A Lurker, your lack of intelligence just made me spit up my drink that I just took a sip of. Its not wonder you are a religious person because you believe “newspaper accounts” of everything you read, do you also believe in everything in the National Inquirer?
Disprove evolution Lurker, when you do i’ll break the reality to you that believing in god, and a fictional book is the same as believing in Clifford… Show me Clifford Lurker..

By: Natalia Rybczynski

Natalia Rybczynski — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:39:52 +0000

Thank you Ed for writing such a nice article on Puijila! This crater carnivore still has alot more to tell us about the evolution of our flippered friends. Back to work…

By: A lurker

A lurker — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:15:06 +0000

"Answers" in Genesis has replied. It seems that some newspapers have called the fossil "otter-like" thus combined with some more quote mining of newspaper accounts this evidence for evolution has been disproved. Yeah, that the ticket.

By: Ed Yong

Ed Yong — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:25:24 +0000

Are rivers like training grounds for the more demanding environment of the sea?

That sounds about right to me. In freshwater, you have to adapt to moving about in water, perceiving prey, holding your breath and so on. The sea has all of that plus the additional challenge of high concentrations of salt, and a much larger scale.

By: RHawley

RHawley — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:18:08 +0000

It seems to be a recurring theme that major groups of marine animals got their start in freshwater. Jawless fish, bony fish, whales and now seals…are rivers like training grounds for the more demanding environment of the sea?