Jackals appeared and established themselves in Africa in at least the last five million years. These animals have evolved and adapted to the changing environment, allowing them to survive.
Computed tomography scans of a frog skeleton. These fossil frogs are useful to track climatic change.
Author supplied
Fossils of the lowly frog indicate that the evolution of South Africa’s west coast winter rainfall pattern is more complex, and possibly occurred much later, than previously thought
There is an abundance of baby fur seals on the west coast of South Africa, but true seals, which inhabited the area five million years ago, no longer do so.
Supplied
Curator of Cenozoic Palaeontology, Research and Exhibitions, Iziko Museums of South Africa; Honorary Research associate Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town