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Discoveries gaining worldwide recognition

When you think of the Bahamas, many words come to mind: beautiful beaches, snorkeling, fishing, rum drinks, relaxation. However, thanks to exciting discoveries that are being made in the blue holes of the Bahamas, the words fossils and paleontology are now bringing international attention to the island chain.

In April of 2005, Brain Kakuk, an expert cave diver who runs Bahamas Underground and serves as a consultant for The National Museum of the Bahamas, was diving in an Abaco blue hole known as Sawmill Sink. While waiting during a decompression stop he saw what he thought looked like part of a tortoise shell. He questioned his judgment, because, as he said, “there are no tortoises in the Bahamas.” But, it turns out his first instinct was right, the fossil was determined to be a 2,500-year-old giant tortoise shell in excellent condition, the remains of an animal long gone from the Bahamas.

Since that discovery, the bones of other extinct tortoises, crocodiles, birds, lizards, snakes mammals, and the remains of plant life have been reclaimed from Sawmill Sink and other blue holes in the Bahamas. Blue holes are deep, water-filled caves and sink holes that were dry during the Ice Ages that took place more than 10,000 years ago. At that time sea levels were more than 400 feet lower than today’s levels. Thus far, the findings range in age from 1,000 to 4,200 years old, but scientists expect fossils will exceed that age as more material found.

Although the tortoise shell was the first discovery, it has been the fossils of land dwelling crocodiles that have generated the most attention. Nancy Albury, the Project Coordinator for The Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation and the National Museum of the Bahamas, says, "We believe that this species is similar to the Cuban Crocodile, of which there are about 3,000 left in the wild in Cuba.” While there are no remaining crocodiles in the Bahamas, their rare Cuban cousins live primarily in the water but can also roam on land, which scientists believe was the main habitat for these creatures.

Recovered bones suggest some reached 14 feet in length. They seem to have existed simultaneously with the tortoise, as evidenced by the crocodile teeth marks left on one tortoise shell. Scientists are still working to determine why these animals no longer exist in the Bahamas, but they suspect that the appearance of man may have something to do with their demise.

While the fossils have generated a great deal of public interest, the plant material is adding volumes to the story of Abaco’s pre-human history. "The preservation is incredible," Albury said. "Plant material that is thousands of years old is still green with chlorophyll pigment." Scientists are using the leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and insects they are finding alongside the animal remains to create a much more complete picture of the ancient environment of these islands.

“The woods of Abaco were a very different place thousands of years ago,” said Albury. “Hardwood forests were once the dominant vegetation around Sawmill Sink. Today it’s predominately Abaco pine. Flightless birds and large land tortoise co-existed with crocodiles, who were the top predators of their day. When the ice ages held much of the world’s freshwater in the ice sheets, sea levels were lowered by hundreds of feet below todays, and blue holes were extensive dry caves in which owls and bats roosted. The bones collected from those roosts, and the sediment that’s rich with plant matter, are giving us unparalleled opportunities to reconstruct the ancient environments of the Bahamas”.

Besides fossil studies conducted by David Steadman, Gary Morgan, Dick Franz, and Nancy Albury, other diverse studies are also on-going, including the myths and social impact blue holes have on Bahamian communities by cultural anthropologist Kenny Broad, and the extraordinary role of cave-adapted animals in extreme cave environments by biologist Tom Iliffe.

The unique water chemistry of the blue holes accounts for the amazing preservation of the remains. The lack of oxygen at the lower levels means the plants and bones don’t break down they way they do in other environments. The result is a scientist’s dream.

"Their ultra-high quality of preservation puts the fossils in a category all their own," said David Steadman, a lead scientist on the project and curator of ornithology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

And the world is taking notice; already the subject of documentary work through the National Geographic Society, the study will continue to unveil the secrets of the blue holes while adopting conservation measures to protect them.

As a result of the ongoing research in Sawmill Sink, all water-filled cave systems in The Bahamas are now being viewed by researchers as unique opportunities for reconstructing ancient environments in The Bahamas as well as a modern and more critical application. While blue holes provide windows to past environments, they also provide evidence of current issues including pollution and human generated debris that adversely affect the precious fresh water resources on each island.

The sudden surge of multidisciplinary research data coming from this project has brought blue holes and underwater cave systems to a new level of importance in understanding some of today’s most important questions, including those of global climate change. Fortunately, the Government of The Bahamas also realizes the ramifications of these findings, and blue holes and underwater cave systems are now a greater priority on the list of conservation efforts to be undertaken in the immediate future.

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