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Dewaele studies the internal bone structure of seal fossils. The internal bone structure of the different groups of vertebrates vary greatly: birds have bones that make them light as a feather, which enables them to fly. For vertebrates living in the water – now or in the past, think ichthyosaurs or plesiosaurs – the opposite is true: they have bones with a small medullary cavity, which makes their bones heavier. That way, they can ‘float’ in the water and save energy when diving. Dewaele studies the structure of several seal fossils from the North Sea basin and the Northern Atlantic Ocean. The study could give clues about how and when seals evolved from land to aquatic animals.
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