Megafauna Walking the Beaches of Southern Spain 125,000 Years BP

Ichnologists examined animal tracks found near the coast of Spain at 4 sites, and they date to the last Interglacial ranging in age from 90,000 years BP-140,000 years BP. Ichnology is the study of animal tracks. They found tracks that compare favorably to the enormous, extinct straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), horse, red deer (known as elk in North America), wolf, stone marten, and beetle. The sites include Torro de Copa, Calblanque, Monte de la Ceniza, and Pena del Aquela Regional Nature Park. The tracks are important evidence that these species occurred here because their remains are not found in the local fossil record, though they are found in other parts of the Iberian Peninsula.

Location and geological setting of sites where fossil tracks of animals dating to the last Interglacial were found in Spain. From the below referenced paper.

The tracks were found in fossilized sand dunes created by Ice Age winds. Note the impressions of raindrops. This indicates the sand was wet when the tracks were made. From the below referenced paper.

Fossilized elephant tracks. From the below referenced paper.

Map of sites where evidence of extinct elephants have been found. The yellow represent tracks; the red circles represent bones. From the below referenced paper.

Straight-tusked elephants were 1 of the largest land mammals of all time. There were 4 species and they ranged across Africa, Europe, and Asia. I believe they would still exist today, if not for man. During Ice Ages mammoths replaced them in colder regions, but they could still occur in warmer regions of Europe and Asia.

Ichnologists find impressions of rain drops in the sand next to the tracks, indicating the sand was wet from rain when the tracks were made. The tracks were made on coastal sand dunes that formed during a previous Ice Age when climate was dry, and wind blew sand into big dunes. However, by the time these tracks were made, wetter climate fostered the spread of beach shrubs that stabilized the dunes. They were walking through a scrubby habitat with many bare spots. The dunes were adjacent to a mixed forest of ash, birch, fir, and hornbeam. Straight-tusked elephants likely fed on the twigs and leaves of these plants. Some tracks appear as if the animals were just passing through, perhaps as part of a seasonal migration. Other trackways suggest the animals were congregating on the spot and trampling the ground. Neanderthals likely hunted these animals here.

The sites were dated using uranium-series dating of coral and seashells. They must have been rapidly covered by sediment that today is being eroded away, making them visible. It’s a nice snapshot of the local fauna during the interglacial. If not for man, all of these species would still enjoy living next to the Mediterranean Sea today.

Reference:

Carvalho, C.; et al

“New Vertebrate Track Sites from the Last Interglacial Dune Deposits of Coastal Murcia (Southeastern Spain): Ecological Corridors for Elephants in Iberia”

Quaternary Science Review 369 December 2025

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379125004512

The 1920 Georgia Bulldogs–The Team that Earned the Nickname

It’s the week of the Super Bowl, but I don’t care who wins. I watch the NFL for entertainment and do not have a favorite team. I often mildly root for the team with the most former Georgia Bulldog players on their roster. I wanted to see the Rams in this year’s Super Bowl because Mathew Stafford, their quarterback, played for Georgia between 2006-2008, but alas, the Rams fell short in Seattle where they also battled the referees. The only sports team that I passionately favor is the Georgia Bulldogs football team. Most sports fans, and even Georgia Bulldogs’ fans don’t know how Georgia earned the nickname–Bulldogs. Here is the story of how that happened.

Before 1920 the Georgia football team was simply known as the Red and Black. During 1893, just their 2nd season, some fans did call them Bulldogs, but the name didn’t stick. By 1920 the press started calling them the Wildcats, however Georgia earned the nickname Bulldogs when they were playing Virginia on the road. Virginia athletic rules at the time didn’t allow freshmen to play, and 3 of Georgia’s star players were freshmen. Despite this handicap, Georgia held Virginia to a scoreless draw. The game included 2 goal line stands by Georgia, and a sportswriter by the name of Cliff Wheatley wrote Georgia “bulldogged Virginia at the goal line.” Georgia has been known as the Bulldogs ever since.

Georgia won the Southern Conference (precursor to the SEC) in 1920, and 1 pollster ranked them number 1 in the nation. They destroyed every team except Virginia and Alabama. The game against Alabama was an exciting classic, but unfortunately there is no film of it. Note how short the season was. Just 2 months.

The 1920 Georgia Bulldogs had a strong line. They were so good, Georgia started scheduling games against Ivy League powers the next year. The Ivy League still dominated college football during the 1920s.

The 1920 Georgia Bulldogs were a great team, finishing 8-0-1 in the Southern Conference, precursor to the SEC. The Berryman Quality Points Rating System rated them number 1 in the whole nation 70 years later, but official polls at the time gave the national championship to California and Princeton. Georgia destroyed most of the teams they played that year. Too bad, they didn’t play Georgia Tech that year because the Yellow Jackets also finished undefeated. The most exciting game of the year was against Alabama. Georgia took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but Alabama fought their way back into the game. With 2 minutes left Alabama attempted to drop kick a short field goal that would have probably won the game, but Georgia’s Kirk Whelchel blocked the kick, and Buck Cheves returned it 87 yards for the winning touchdown. Descriptions of the play are sketchy because sportswriters at this time were a bunch of incoherent drunks, and there is no film of it. Football was not widely filmed yet. Georgia’s coach, Herman Stegeman, coached for 2 more seasons and later became athletic director and scout for the football team. The next year, Georgia began scheduling traditional Ivy League powers that were still considered the best teams in the nation during the 1920s.

Reference:

Smith, Loren

Between the Hedges: 100 Years of Georgia Football

Longstreet Press 1992