One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Meet the hippo-like creature that roamed ancient California
An artists rendering of a desmostylus adult and juvenile. Image by Justin Santos.
(
Artist: Justin Santos
)
CSUF graduate student Gabriel-Philip Santos and the desmostylian fossil.
(
Eric Scott
)
A diagram showing the teeth of desmostylians at various ages.
(
Cal State Fullerton
)
Listen
0:58
Meet the hippo-like creature that roamed ancient California
New research is shedding light on a long extinct California species known as desmostylian. It looked like a hippo and lived along the coast between 8 and 12 million years ago.
Little is known about these lumbering mammals that once romped through local waters, but scientists have pieced together some key details.
For instance, analysis of fossilized teeth show they were plant eaters. A recent study from paleontologists at Cal State Fullerton suggests they also may have lost their teeth as they aged.
"Kind of like how some humans loose all their teeth as they get older," remarked study author and CSUF graduate student Gabriel-Philip Santos.
This finding is based on a unique desmostylian jawbone discovered in 1996, near the 241-toll road in Mission Viejo.
Santos says the alveoli, or teeth sockets of the specimen, were closed. This suggests the animal lost its chompers earlier in life but continued eating without them into old age.
A diagram showing the teeth of desmostylians at various ages.
(
Cal State Fullerton
)
Sponsored message
This fossil was found a good 14 miles from today's shore line, but Santos says 10 million years ago much of California was covered in shallow ocean waters.
In fact, there were tons of fascinating marine animals living here back then, like ancient varieties of whales, walruses and large sharks.
"It was a really different time to see the types of animals we had back then," Santos explained.
Scientists don’t know exactly what killed off desmostylian and why they have no direct living relatives today, but research like this helps piece together California's past and give clues about how mammals here evolved over time.
CSUF graduate student Gabriel-Philip Santos and the desmostylian fossil.
(
Eric Scott
)
Santos says it's also just fun to imagine these almost-elephant sized creatures playing in the waves of Southern California.
"I picture herds of these... walking down the coastline on beaches... that is so weird but cool."
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
