Fossils provide direct evidence for the life and biodiversity in the deep past, and my research interest focuses on vertebrate fossils and their evolutionary history. For example, without fossils, we have no clue that large crocodylians made themselves home in Taiwan because no extant crocodylians inhabit Taiwan. One of our recent discoveries includes a 7-m “crocodylian princess” from the Pleistocene of Taiwan: Toyotamaphimeia taiwanicus. Baleen whales (Mysticeti) include the largest animals (the blue whale) to have ever lived on Earth. One of my research projects is to understand and explore the evolutionary history of marine mammals worldwide. For example, we recently discovered and published the oldest-known mysticete in the Northern Hemisphere: Fucaia humilis. The occurrence of Fucaia humilis in the Eocene of the North Pacific then suggests that disparate mechanisms and ecological scenarios nurtured contrasting early mysticete evolutionary histories between two hemispheres. Vertebrate paleontology remains poorly explored in Taiwan. For example, we discovered and published the very first bird fossil from Taiwan, indicating the huge potential for future research. Similarly, without the fossil record, the extinction event can not be properly assessed to offer a large-scale perspective for conservation policies. Our recent research also includes a Science paper that provides novel insights into island extinctions across the globe (including Taiwan). This study also opens up a new research direction for vertebrate paleontology in Taiwan, as the extinction events literally remain almost unknown in Taiwan.
