A fishy mammal
in an unfishy place

Despite the creation of a strictly protected zone, Antarctica remained a land highly exploited by the field of research until 2200. Some activities were non-invasive, which didn't affect much the surrounding environment, but others were more invasive. Among the most impacting activities, we would like to mention the drilling activity of Lake Vostok, the largest subglacial lake in the world. Despite the gradual rise in global temperatures, the area surrounding Vostok still has incredibly low temperatures, well below thermal zero, and has not yet shown any signs of melting. As at the beginning of the 21st century, the lake is still covered by a huge layer of ice of several kilometers, which separates the water below the atmosphere. Over the years, many assumptions have been made about the possible extremophile fauna living in this subglacial environment.

With the continuation of drilling activities and the advent of microdrones, it was finally possible to visit towards the end of 2140 to visualize on screen the extreme environment of this lake. Very interesting was the discovery of strong sectioning of water, in some parts extremely oxygenated (perhaps due to the presence of subglacial aquifers) and others almost anoxic. This environment is the perfect habitat for a myriad of bacteria and other extreme organisms, which have been isolated from the outside world for several tens of millions of years. 

In 2146 a scientific article appeared in the world’s journals, possibly documenting the greatest zoological discovery of the century: the presence of vertebrates in the waters of Lake Vostok. But we’re not talking about fish or amphibians, we’re talking about mammals! That year a certain scientist Lillik Borlottovic presented his study to the eyes of the world, describing a "microscopic" cetacean, belonging to a lineage believed to be extinct for over 30 million years: the basilosaurids.

It was called subglacial dodolphin (Neodorudon fasullus) and, despite being a basilosaurid, it has the most derived characteristics of any modern cetacean. First of all, the animal does not have eyes and it has a small size even if compared to the vaquita, a tiny recently extinct cetacean*. The species does not exceed 30 cm in length, one-third of which is occupied by its head, which has a mandible disproportionately longer than the maxilla (underbite). The structure of the body is greatly simplified, to reduce the energy costs of metabolic maintenance: it is thought that the animal may need just 4 calories of food per day, which are taken passively by moving the bacterial debris of the lake bottom. The fin and tail muscles are atrophied, and it is thought that the animal uses its jaw as a foot to "drag" along the bottom. 

Due to the very strong water pressures created by the ice above, the cells of the subglacial dodolphin are composed almost entirely of water. Another adaptation to high pressure was the loss of the lungs, the organ with the greatest risk of collapse in these environments. Because of the lack of lungs and outlets with the external air, the subglacial dodorudon has developed anal respiration, analogous to some species of turtles: through intrinsic muscles, the animal accumulates water inside its rectum, where modified intestinal villi allow the animal to make gaseous exchanges with the waters of the lake. Intestinal villi are also able to filter the bacterial film that is moved by the animal with its jaw, allowing its intake. Body waste is not only dispersed from their anus but also the mouth, as the cycle of nutrients in their body has an inverted direction. In fact, the mouth no longer acts as an organ to take food, but has almost exclusively a manipulative purpose. In short, the subglacial dodolphin is an animal that works in reverse, the result of tens of millions of years of evolutionary isolation. 

The dodolphin would have been the discovery of the century... if it wasn't an April's Fool. The fictional "Lillic Borlottovic" is in fact a fake profile created by Bernard Brutus Teruni, a researcher of the 22nd century known for his amusing outings. This time, however, the event got completely out of hand, becoming a viral news. This media outcry has probably been emphasized by a famous meme of the period, concerning subglacial lakes**. More than the 21th century, memes are shaping the world like no one has ever managed to do.