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FISH DOG |
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 The Gaspe Peninsula extends into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. © David Muenker |
One piece was missing. They couldn't find the creature that linked fish and tetrapods — land animals with a backbone and four legs.
In 1892, a fish fossil found at Miguasha revealed the missing piece of the puzzle.
Francois's family was Acadian, descendents of French colonists who settled in Canada in the 1600s. His grandfather was driving them to Miguasha.
But first they were going to explore sights along the way. The first stop was Mont Jacques-Cartier in Gaspe National Park.
"Grandpa says if we're lucky, we'll see caribou at the top of the mountain," Francois said. "There are only about 150 of them."
"We might see reindeer? Super!"
 A mountaintop view of the Gaspe Peninsula. © David Muenker |
Higher up, the trees became shorter. And then there were no trees at all.
Piles of rocks marked the edges of the trail.
"We're above timberline, Sonya. That's the point where trees stop growing."
They had reached the tundra. Several caribou roamed on a distant slope.
Near the top of the mountain, Sonya inspected the rocks and grasses. A strange scent made her nose twitch. She sniffed the ground and followed the smell.
A big shadow fell across her path. When she looked up, she saw a large caribou standing right in front of her.
 Sonya comes head to head with a caribou. © 2007 Ravay Snow |
"H-m-m, what do we have here?" The caribou sniffed at her.
"You're no bigger than one of our little ones."
Sonya saw two adults and three calves behind him.
"I'm a dog," Sonya said proudly.
The caribou's coat was dark brown. His belly and mane were white. And he had big, beautiful antlers.
"You'll never have antlers, poor thing."
Sonya rubbed her paws on her head, not sure whether that made her happy or sad. The caribous started grazing.
"Have a good lunch!" Sonya backed away and joined Francois behind a rock.
"Wow, we saw a whole herd up close!" he whispered to Sonya. "We're lucky!"
 Thousands of birds nest on Bonaventure Island. © David Muenker |
When the boat landed, they ran across fields of wildflowers into a forest.
On the other side of the island, they stepped out of the woods onto a cliff top covered with tens of thousands of noisy birds called Northern gannets.
"Look at all those birds!" True to her bird dog breed, Sonya stood in a point.
"This place is called a rookery because birds come here to lay their eggs," Francois said. "They stay until the chicks can fly."
The adults had golden heads and white bodies.
 A Northern gannet tends its chick. © David Muenker |
Some chicks were so young they were still bald. Some had started growing tail feathers.
Most of them were big balls of fluffy white feathers with black heads and feet. Tiny, white feathers floated in the breeze.
A feather landed on Sonya's nose. "Achoo!"
Francois pointed at a nearby nest and chuckled. The chick was sprawled out, sound asleep. Then they noticed another sleeping chick, and another.
"They really are happy little things," Sonya sighed.
The boat horn blasted.
"We'd better go," Francois said. "We've only got five minutes to get down to the dock." And they sped off.
Note: This story is fiction based on fact.
Read a non-fiction feature article about the Gaspe Peninsula.
Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the sights and sounds of this World Heritage Site.
Test your understanding of words used in this story with the Word Match game.
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Photographs ©2005-2010 David Muenker. Text ©2005-2010 Rose Muenker. Illustrations ©2005-2010 Ravay Snow Any use without express written permission is illegal and punishable by law. All rights reserved. Site designed and developed by Josh Bergman. |
