Could we eventually uncover a lost civilization on the sunken Kerguelen continent? And if so, what m

By around 110 million BC the first portions of the Kerguelen island continent had appeared. Large portions of the island continent would remain dry land for millions of years, after which they would all eventually submerge to become one with the sea floor again (with the last disappearing from the surface around 20,000,000 BC). This article lists some developments possibly relevant to the Kerguelen island continent, and any intelligent lifeforms which may have arisen or taken refuge there.

Millions of years of fierce competition between the smart Antarctic reptile predators and their pseudo-primate prey boosted the intelligence and physical capacities of both. Subsequent migration to the Kerguelen island(s) continent as Antarctica iced over also accelerated evolution of the species, though perhaps the pseudo-primates more so than the reptiles, as the repeated intervening aquatic environment/stage(s) were more alien to the pseudo-primates, and required more adaptation on their part. Still, altogether the evolution of these pseudo-primates during this time proceeded considerably more slowly than it will for those apes which transform into human beings, millions of years later. Once commited to Kerguelen, both the reptiles and pseudo-primates found themselves pressed even harder in evolutionary terms, as Kerguelen was subject to relatively frequent wholesale cataclysms: vast land sweeping tsunamis stemming from underwater landslides, faraway volcanic eruptions, and cosmic impacts in the oceans, with the worst occuring on average every 3,000 to 320,000 years or so, and somewhat less damaging events happening every 100,000 years. Added to this was occasional disasterous volcanic activity in Kerguelen itself, as well as ongoing climate changes. All this would combine to drive all large animal life extinct on Kerguelen, or else mercilessly push its evolution to heights 20th century man will never suspect.

From www.jmooneyham.com

I know nothing about this, but it is interesting put in context to seclusion and Darwinian Evolution. Is this the same place you are talking about?

en.wikipedia.org...

Reminds me of the Pygmy Mammoth on Santarosae Isaland

Approximately 40,000 to 20,000 years ago, a small group of 14-foot tall, 20,000-pound Columbian mammoths embarked on a journey that would eventually end in the development of a new species—the Channel Islands pygmy mammoth. Leaving the heavily grazed mainland behind, these Columbian mammoths swam towards the scents of abundant vegetation from the huge, mountainous island of Santarosae.

Approximately 20,000 years ago when sea level was about 300 feet lower than it is today, the four northern islands joined together to form an Ice Age “superisland” known as Santarosae. This island was only 6 miles from the mainland at its closest distance. As the ice sheets and glaciers melted and the sea level rose, only the highest parts of Santarosae remained as modern islands.

Link: www.nps.gov...

Interesting Post!

I think so axiomuser

Probably not.

Originally posted by Conspiracyintheuk
By around 110 million BC the first portions of the Kerguelen island continent had appeared.

Actually, there's no continent there. The island appears to be volcanic in origin: encyclopedia.jrank.org...

Large portions of the island continent would remain dry land for millions of years, after which they would all eventually submerge to become one with the sea floor again (with the last disappearing from the surface around 20,000,000 BC).

I'm a little skeptical of the 20 million figure here, since the seas rose 20 thousand years ago.

Millions of years of fierce competition between the smart Antarctic reptile predators and their pseudo-primate prey boosted the intelligence and physical capacities of both.

Okay... they made that one up. That's the Tertiary time period in the geologic scale: en.wikipedia.org...

20 million years ago, Antarctica had drifted to near where it is today and was covered in glaciers. While there may have been some fairly hardy iguanas there, no larger reptiles were around. They certainly aren't THAT smart (and no troodonts ("smart dinosaurs") were in that area.)

Subsequent migration to the Kerguelen island(s) continent as Antarctica iced over also accelerated evolution of the species, though perhaps the pseudo-primates more so than the reptiles, as the repeated intervening aquatic environment/stage(s) were more alien to the pseudo-primates, and required more adaptation on their part.

Primates were in Africa and South America then. The fossil material shows that Kergulen material is more closely related to the Americas (according to one site I read.)

The rest, I'm afraid, is pure speculation. "IF they had smart reptiles (no sign of them) and IF they had smart primates (no sign of them) and IF they survived the cataclysms ..."

And there's no evidence that having smart predators makes the prey smarter. Prey strategies are generally to outbreed the predators... they have shorter reproductive cycles. Rabbits haven't become appreciably smarter (nor mice) despite centuries of being hunted by very crafty coyotes.

reply to post by axiomuser


Nope. Those are the Channel islands, off the coast of Southern California.

This supposed "lost continent" is in the Indian Ocean.