Last week my colleague Mark and I were shipped off to Washington DC for the National Climate Assessment Engagement meeting. DC is one of my favorite towns. Wandering through the National Portrait Museum and the National Archives during the free evenings, I got chills down my spine being surrounded by some of America's fantastic and intriguing history.
So in that spirit, I bring you a fossil that is part of our own history, long before the Declaration of Independence or the "shot heard round the world". This one dates to the Eocene, found in what is now Washington state, but there have been a couple appearances documented in California as well.
What was it? What did it eat? Was it a land animal? Open ocean animal? First person to identify this lovely specimen receives bragging rights for the week!
