Santa Barbara Channel - Prehistory

Prehistory

Prior to the Holocene era sea levels were considerably lower, such that the water width separating the mainland was much less. This effect had a significant effect upon biological colonization as well as human transport via plank canoes. As examples, the Native American Chumash peoples navigated these waters with ease using their primitive watercraft, allowing communication and trade between island and mainland villages. In terms of biological colonization, C. Michael Hogan reviews some of the theories of colonization of the rare species Torrey Pine, Pinus torreyana to the islands, suggesting that it is likely that Chumash peoples carried the initial cones in their canoes. The most famous endemic species, though now extinct, was the pygmy mammoth, which is often cited as a case study in insular dwarfism.

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