A Sabertoothed, Bear-sized, “Mammal-like Reptile”

Last night I finished the massive-open-online-course “Dino101: Dinosaur Paleobiology” from the University of Alberta, hosted by coursera.  I learned that, in my dino-myopia, I’ve been overlooking a host of interesting animals that existed in the Permian age.  The Permian age, by the way, directly preceded the Mesozoic Era (the age of dinosaurs) and came to an end when the single greatest mass extinction in Earth’s history occurred.

The Dino101 course lecture briefly noted the existence of gorgonopsians, a family of carnivorous, sabertoothed “mammal-like reptiles” that ranged in size from housecat to bear.

Inostrancevia alexandri in all its glory, courtesy of Wikipedia user Ghedoghedo.

On further review, it appears that the most imposing gorgonopsian was the genus Inostrancevia, which could reach approximately 3.5 meters long.  Inostrancevia was also possessed of “exceptionally large canines,” according to the impressively thorough doctoral thesis of Eva Gebauer.

As this is the first I’ve learned of the gorgonopsians, I don’t have much else to add for today.  If anyone can round out my extremely basic description of the gorgonopsians, and Inostrancevia in particular, with some color commentary, I’d love to hear it.

In any event, these were some fearsome beasts and the creatures they ate seem to have been interesting too.  But that’s a topic for another day.  In the meantime, let’s just settle for knowing that the sabertoothed, bear-sized Inostrancevia existed — until the entirety of Gorgonopsia was completely wiped out by the end-Permian mass extinction.  Inostrancevia exists today in only two forms: its fossilized remains, and a 5-inch-long replica you can buy if you’re so inclined.

One final note on the Permian for today’s purposes: apparently, a “protosphagnum” existed then.  One wonders whether gorgonopsians burned it to dry the barley they used to make gorgonopsian whisky.

Questions about Sphagnum

The first proper plant I’ve thought about discussing here is Sphagnum.  Sphagnum is a genus of moss that is a principal component of peat.  And peat bogs are interesting places.  For one thing, they possess a remarkable preservative ability — take, for example, the 8,000 year old Koelbjerg Woman discovered in a Danish peat bog.

But more impressive to me is this: peat harvested from the Scottish island of Islay is burned to roast the barley used to produce a particular (and, to my palate, particularly good) malt of Scotch whisky.

This fall evening, thinking on the smoky, briny flavor of Islay Scotch, I’ve been wondering how it is that burned peat produces this distinctive flavor.  A Globe and Mail article outlines some basics:

Peat freaks measure their pleasure in parts per million of phenols, the chemical compounds responsible for the smoke. …

Peat contributes not only smoke but nuances of iodine (especially in the case of Islay peat), seaweed, salt and damp earth.

I’m not a scientist, so I wonder what might be a more detailed explanation for the nuanced flavor that results from the burning of peat.  My hypothesis is that flavor comes from the outer layer of Sphagnum moss, which contains two types of water-retaining cells, retort cells and hyaline cells, that give it the ability to hold “25 times its dry weight in water.”

If Sphagnum retains so much seaweedy, salty, earthy bog water, then some chemical components of this seaweedy, salty, earthy bog water must stay behind when the Sphagnum is dried for burning.

Is this right?  If it isn’t, what’s the proper explanation?  And if it is right, can anyone provide more detail?  All I know is that if my hypothesis is right, it’s a fine combination of impressive morphology — Sphagnum‘s ability to retain water — and environmental factors that lend Islay Scotch its glorious signature flavor.