Why were Cynognathus fossils were important to Wegener’s story
Cynognathus fossils were important to Wegener's story because they provided evidence of continental drift.
Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift, which stated that the continents were once joined together in a single landmass called Pangaea and had slowly drifted apart over time. However, he faced skepticism and criticism from the scientific community, as there was limited evidence to support his theory.
The discovery and study of Cynognathus fossils played a crucial role in Wegener's theory. Cynognathus was a land-dwelling reptile that lived about 250 million years ago during the Permian period. Fossil remains of Cynognathus were found in rocks of similar age and characteristics in different locations that are now thousands of kilometers apart, including southern Africa, South America, and Antarctica.
The distribution of Cynognathus fossils across these currently separated landmasses indicated that these regions were once connected. If the continents were fixed and stationary, it would have been impossible for the same species to be found in such distant areas. The geographic distribution of Cynognathus fossils supported the idea that the continents had once been joined and later separated, supporting Wegener's theory of continental drift.
The presence of Cynognathus fossils in different continents provided strong evidence that supported the notion of continents moving over time, directly challenging the prevailing belief in static continents. It bolstered Wegener's argument and laid the groundwork for further investigation into the phenomenon of continental drift, leading to the eventual acceptance of plate tectonic theory.