Life in the Weddellian Province, while it bears some similarities to the animals and plants found elsewhere, seems to have developed along a strange path all of its own. Unlike Laramidia, the Weddellian Biota is separated from the rest of the Maastrichtian world not by insurmountable geographical barriers, but by climate - for the Weddellian Province lies near a region we may not often think of when we imagine the age of the dinosaurs: the Antarctic circle. It encompassed the southernmost tip of South America, what is now New Zealand, and the Antarctic continent itself (our knowledge of Australia during this time is unfortunately very lacking). In recent years, new discoveries have begun to allow us a glimpse into this weird and wonderful land that once existed at the bottom of the Maastrichtian world. This post will provide a general overview of Weddellian ecosystems and environments, and what we know about the remarkable animals of the far south of the Earth during the final millennia of the Cretaceous.
Sobek's Swimming Pool 