Scientists Suggest Marvel's Savage Land Was Actually Kind of Real

Scientists suggest that Marvel’s Savage Land was actually kind of reveal. CNN reports that some [...]

By Aaron Perine

Scientists suggest that Marvel's Savage Land was actually kind of reveal. CNN reports that some researchers have discovered that there is evidence of ancient rainforests found in Antarctica. That would mean that about 90 million years ago, the continent would have been a swampy rainforest instead of what we see today. Marvel's Savage Land is a prehistoric land hidden in Antarctica. During the Triassic period, the Nuwali, an alien race, made the kingdom for The Beyonders in the comics continuity. But, Ka-Zar and the other inhabitants like him were probably not around during the coinciding period on our Earth.

Using a drill to slice the seafloor, researchers discovered that the sediment collected contained forest soil, pollen, spores and root systems. From there they discovered that the warmer conditions during the time of the dinosaurs helped facilitate the balmy climate. (Estimates indicate that the sea's surface could reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit in tropical climates.)

"The preservation of this 90-million-year-old forest is exceptional, but even more surprising is the world it reveals," Tina van de Flierdt, co-author of the study and professor in the Imperial College London's Department of Earth Science and Engineering said. "Even during months of darkness, swampy temperate rainforests were able to grow close to the South Pole, revealing an even warmer climate than we expected."

Further inspection told the team that the forests were similar to the ones found in New Zealand's South Island today. That means rainfall and green stretching all around. It's truly wild to consider that such a large expanse was home to a variety of creatures back then. But, time changes and the Earth molds accordingly. Even more fascinating is that a warming effect produced by carbon dioxide created a veritable greenhouse that allowed the forests to survive without sunlight for as long as four months at a time.

"We now know that there could easily be four straight months without sunlight in the Cretaceous. But because the carbon dioxide concentration was so high, the climate around the South Pole was nevertheless temperate, without ice masses," Torsten Bickert, a co-author of the study and geoscientist at the University of Bremen's MARUM research center explained.

Anyone else have the itch to read some X-Men comics right now? Or maybe watch Jurassic Park? Let us know in the comments!

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