As our numbers are growing and our dominance over the natural world is increasing, humans are set to make their mark in the fossil record

According to scientists, humans and their animals now greatly outnumber the number of wild animals roaming the Earth. This ratio will be reflected in future fossil records. Our growing numbers, combined with our technological advances, have led to our impact on the natural word now being equal or even exceeding those of natural processes.

Credit: Hywit Dimyadi via shutterstock - HDR tune by Universal-Sci

A large group of researchers calls this period of human dominance the Anthropocene era. As of yet, there is an ongoing discussion on whether we should designate this era with a name and when exactly it began.

Scientists Roy E. Plotnick and Karen A. Koy published a paper in the science journal Anthropocene where they argue that the fossil record in the distant future will clearly define the period of human dominance.

In explaining what they mean, the researchers used Michigan as an example. In Michigan, approximately 96% of the entire mass of animals consists of humans and human held animals. According to the scientists, there are as many chickens in Michigan as there are humans. Extrapolating, the same should be true about the United States as well as the world.

Domesticated animals will leave a big mark on the fossil record - Image Credit: Universal-Sci - CC BY 4.0

In an interview with UIC today Poltinic, the lead author of the paper, stated that the likelihood of a wild animal becoming part of the fossil record is very small. Rather than wild animals, he expects the future mammal record to primarily consist of animals like dogs, cats, cows, and sheep in addition to humans themselves.

Not only the type of fossils and frequency at which future paleontologists will find them will change, but also, the average condition. According to Plotnick, currently, mammal fossils are typically found in ancient lakebeds, caves, and river channels and mainly consist of bone fragments. This will be different in the future as farm animals or animals that die in mass due to disease often end up as complete corpses in trenches or landfills, far away from water. The same of course, goes for humans, as we have been burying most of our dead in cemeteries for centuries.

According to Plotnick, in the distant future, the fossil record of today will have a considerable number of complete hominid skeletons, all lined up in rows. All in all, evidence for the Anthropocene is mounting, and geologists will continue to discuss whether this is really the end of the Holocene.

Sources and further reading: The Anthropocene fossil record of terrestrial mammals - University of Illinois at Chicago