The Ancients Ancient Antarctica
Oct 8, 2026
Australian paleontologist Professor John Long, renowned for uncovering early sharks and fossil fish, explores Antarctica’s lost prehistoric world. Discover trilobite reefs, Devonian giants, dinosaurs, marsupials, giant penguins and ancient whales beneath the ice. Long also recounts perilous expeditions, mysterious mountain discoveries and Antarctica’s transformation from a temperate Gondwanan haven into a frozen wilderness.
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Shackleton’s Expedition Found An Ancient Reef
- Early Antarctic expeditions treated fossils as valuable curiosities before scientists recognized their importance.
- Shackleton’s expedition recovered Cambrian fossils from the Beardsmore Glacier, including evidence of the enormous Shackleton Limestone reef.
Scott’s Final Fossil Samples Built Gondwana
- Scott’s dying party continued dragging rocks despite running out of food and supplies.
- Their fossil plants later helped establish Gondwana by linking Antarctic flora with specimens from Africa, India, Australia, and South America.
Three Months In Antarctica’s Unknown Mountains
- John Long’s 1991–92 expedition crossed largely unmapped Trans-Antarctic terrain by sledge.
- The team found fossil sites everywhere while navigating crevasses, avalanches, storms, and mountains no one had previously studied.
