The Haida Gwaii Islands off of the northern coast of BC are sometimes called the ‘Canadian Galapagos’ for the scientific interest they inspire.

Recent research undertaken by Rolf Mathewes of the SFU Biology Department, along with other researchers who have backgrounds in earth sciences, seems to confirm this label.

Focusing on the sea cliffs at Cape Ball on the eastern coast of Haida Gwaii, the research team made significant discoveries in terms of dating the penultimate period of glaciation on Haida Gwaii, along with evidence that shows the presence of large grazing animals on this part of the islands approximately 57,000 years ago.

The discovery of large numbers of coprophilous (dung-loving) spores, along with their spore-producing bodies, suggests that during the penultimate ice age, there was probably a watering hole that was frequented by large grazing mammals such as caribou, bison, or mammoths.

“It’s true serendipity. I wasn’t looking for it, wasn’t expecting it because I’d never seen those spores before on Haida Gwaii, but bang, there they were in large quantities,” explained Mathewes. “Finding these was a real crown on the story; to find these things by accident, almost.”

Mathewes was keen to stress that no fossil evidence has been found confirming the presence of mammoths or any of the other large mammals on the islands as of yet in this particular sediment layer.

Later fossil evidence, however, proves that there were indeed caribou on the islands. The presence of fossils would be the only thing that could undoubtedly confirm the presence of these large mammals during this time period.

A possible new direction for research would be to search for evidence that would prove the types of animals present at the site. The location of the site on the coast allows for storms to erode away the cliff-face, which Mathewes says could lead to the discovery of fossils in the future.

If the sea level during this penultimate ice age lowered as much as it did during in the final ice age, large mammals that were present on the mainland could have migrated across Hecate Strait to the islands. There is evidence from previous research that shows that during the last ice age, the Hecate Strait was dry land. This dry land would have served as both a refuge from the glacial ice sheets and a bridge to the island.

Mathewes also discovered fossilized pollen of Calder’s lovage (or licorice root) in the same peat layer as the coprophilous fungi, which was dated to 57,000 years. The presence of pollen from the lovage — which is an endemic plant to Haida Gwaii — strongly suggests that there was at least a portion of the islands that was not covered with ice.

This contradicts the theory that some geologists have that the islands were completely covered with ice, and indicates that the natural history of Haida Gwaii is not quite as we thought.