“What, if anything, is a rabbit?”
If you want the answer to this question, join other inquisitive people this Saturday 19 August, at 12:00 at the West Coast Fossil Park, Langebaanweg, to listen to Xavier “Xav” Middleton explaining more about the rabbits of the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58 million years ago. At that time, rabbits and hares proliferated across much of Africa, Asia and Europe. However, considerable research is still ongoing in unravelling the true extent of their diversification and evolution. The Leporidae, the family of rabbits and hares with short, furry tails and elongated ears and hind legs are well represented at the study site of Langebaanweg, but questions exist about the nature of these rabbits.
Middleton, a doctoral candidate in the Archaeology Department at the University of Cape Town (UCT), has an MSc in Geology from the university, and his honours and master’s focused on the geology, stratigraphy and geochemistry of the unconsolidated sediments and consolidated phosphorites of Langebaanweg. The talk will glimpse the ongoing and future research at the study site.
Pay the entry fee, R50, at reception. Please RSVP to info@fossilpark.org.za.
