On Tuesday the 28th of February Chantelle May and I, Vivienne Dames from Victoria Girls High had the pleasure of interview Dr De Klerk and spending the afternoon with him. Palaeontology is an area which we are both fascinated in and it was truly an amazing experience to delve into it deeper and we would like to thank Dr De Klerk for taking the time in his busy schedule to be so hospitable.
Questions and Answers
Q1) How has the field of Palaeontology changed since you have become involved in it?
A1) Since I have been here, South Africa has always had an International edge in Palaeontology of all kinds. In 2005 especially is was identified as one of the Five Areas of Excellence along with Clear Skies, Coelacanth project and the Cape Floral Kingdom. Palaeontology gave South Africa something to be significantly proud of, it saddens me to say to you that in recent times the provincial level of funding is slowly beginning to dissipate and it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain and maintain Palaeontology. Slowly we are heading into a national crisis because there is no succession plan, the youth need to provide us with a new generation of palaeontologist, and this is how we can save this area of excellence in our country.
Q2) What other fields of science have you had to interact with because of palaeontology?
A2) I interact largely with the department of Geology. Not many people know this but there are several facets of this field and each is unique for example Ichnology is the study of trace fossils, Vertebrate Palaeontology (study of vertebrate fossils) which is what I am involved in, Geochronology which looks at geological time and tafonomy which is the study of the process of fossilisation. I have dealt with all these areas and more, and each one has its own fascinating methods and discoveries. In Palaeontology you will most definitely engage with more than one area and thatâs what keeps it interesting.
Q3) How have paleontological discoveries changed and adapted our understanding of a life âbefore manâ?
A3) In palaeontology each individual fossil gives an insight into that animal, which links into taxonomy, itâs amazing how you can tell a whole story of how this animal came to be fossilised, where it lived and how it lived. This gives us a detailed backbone for evolution; with this we can trace the origins of not only the organisms that surround us today but humans as well.
Q4) Where is Palaeontology heading to in the near future?
A4) I hate to paint a bleak picture but in South Africa I fear it is getting weaker, I am glad to say though that on National Level things might be changing for the better. Nationally, people are noticing the crisis and organising solutions. As I said before, on a provincial level we are heading for a crisis but we hope that will change. Things at the moment are hard, but we can save it by investing not only funds but also new scientist that are currently out there amongst the youth.
Q5) Is there an order and classification in fossil records?
A5) Yes, we use the Biological Linnaean System, which is binominal meaning that is counts for both extinct and extant organisms. Taxonomy is a large part of palaeontology; it is with taxonomy that we can describe each fossil that we find.
Q6) How old is the oldest fossil found in Grahamstown?
A6) 360 Million Years old this is the age for both vertebrate and invertebrate fossils that we have found in our region. This period of time is known as the Devonian Period, these fossils have showed that all those years ago this area would of actually be an estuary which is very different to what it is today.
Q7) What is the biggest discovery of fossils found in Grahamstown?
A7) A few years ago we had the N2 Bypass Road cuttings, which was a huge discovery. When they were constructing the N2 road which we have now, they had to cut through a lot of sedimentary hills which turned out to be fossil bearing. There was a large operation to try save as much of those fossils as possible, and it was here that we discovered a mass of different types and periods of fossils which gave us extensive insight into the geological history of Grahamstown.
After all the time we spent with Dr De Klerk at the Albany Museum where he works, we were moved by his passion and excitement in the work that he does even after all these years. We would like to highlight the diversity of the field of Palaeontology and just how much we have relied on it in our lives, this is why we as the youth of today would like all those interested to follow through with Palaeontology so that we as a country can still say that this is an area of excellence.
