What does a submerged Philippines look like? Newly discovered gastropod fossil could hold answers

MANILA, Philippines — The newly discovered fossil gastropods in Masungi Georeserve could hold answers to what life was like when major landmasses in the Philippines were submerged deep underwater, according to researchers.

Potentially the “first and oldest” fossil record of its kind in the country, this new discovery by geologists and paleontologists from the University of the Philippines could help them reconstruct the country’s rich geological history and underwater landscape 60 million years ago, Associate Professor Allan Gil Fernando told Philstar.com.

Fernando said that studying the ancient gastropods may allow researchers to learn what species existed in the past and understand “how the Philippines developed into the biodiverse country it is today.”

The discovery was made by Fernando and Alyssa Peleo-Alampay, Leopoldo de Silva, Jr., and Joaquin Miguel Lacson.

Gastropods, which have appeared often in archaeological deposits, are a class of mollusks that include snails, slugs (snails with no shells) and limpets. They have thrived across all three primary habitats: the ocean, freshwater environments and land.

‘Underwater' world

Posted to chart a new history of how the Masungi landscape was submerged underwater 60 million years ago, the fossil gastropods have been potentially hiding in plain sight all along, Fernando told Philstar.com.

Researchers from UP’s National Institute of Geological Sciences were sampling exposed limestones in Masungi in July when they stumbled upon the fossil gastropods sitting just “a few meters away from a trail that guests use to go around the park.”

“The fossils have been there the whole time, probably seen by the guides and the visitors, not fully aware of the significance of the