The Darwin Times
New Fossils Fill the Evolutionary Gap Between Fish and Land Animals
Written by: Elizabeth Cantrell
Ellesmere Island, Nunavut Territory-Titaalik roseae, better known as the “fishapod,” is a 375 million year old fossil fish which was discovered in the Canadian Arctic in 2004. This discovery sheds light on how the fishes evolved into land animals. Even humans evolved from these primitive amphibians, according to Farish Jenkins. "The skeleton of Tiktaalik indicates that it could support its body under the force of gravity whether in very shallow water or on land," says Jenkins of Harvard University. "This represents a critical early phase in the evolution of all limbed animals, including us."
Titaalik was a cross between one of the first four-legged animals and the fishes it lived with prior to evolving. When you first lay your eyes on Titaalik, it appears most similar to a fish. "This animal is both fish and tetra pod. We jokingly call it a fishapod," said Neil Shubin of the University of Chicago. Take a closer look and you’ll see it shares many anatomical features with amphibians and some mammals today. While its fins are not strong enough to walk on, the bone structure is similar to that of all limbed animals. Titaalik has fins and scales, like primitive fishes, but also has shoulders, ribs and a neck. The ribs provide support for the body and aid Titaalik in breathing. Titaalik most likely had lungs and gills. The swim bladders in today’s fish most likely evolved from the lungs in primitive fishes and tetra pods—like Titaalik. Scientists are very excited about reaching this evolutionary milestone, a skeletal progression from fish to land-roaming tetra pods.
"Nsf.gov - National Science Foundation (NSF) News - New Fossils Fill the Evolutionary Gap Between Fish and Land Animals - US National Science Foundation (NSF)." Nsf.gov - National Science Foundation - US National Science Foundation (NSF). 5 Apr. 2006. Web. 13 May 2010. http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=106807
Sarfati, Jonathan. "Tiktaalik Roseae—a Fishy ‘missing Link’." 15 Apr. 2006. Web. 13 May 2010.
Written by: Elizabeth Cantrell
Ellesmere Island, Nunavut Territory-Titaalik roseae, better known as the “fishapod,” is a 375 million year old fossil fish which was discovered in the Canadian Arctic in 2004. This discovery sheds light on how the fishes evolved into land animals. Even humans evolved from these primitive amphibians, according to Farish Jenkins. "The skeleton of Tiktaalik indicates that it could support its body under the force of gravity whether in very shallow water or on land," says Jenkins of Harvard University. "This represents a critical early phase in the evolution of all limbed animals, including us."
Titaalik was a cross between one of the first four-legged animals and the fishes it lived with prior to evolving. When you first lay your eyes on Titaalik, it appears most similar to a fish. "This animal is both fish and tetra pod. We jokingly call it a fishapod," said Neil Shubin of the University of Chicago. Take a closer look and you’ll see it shares many anatomical features with amphibians and some mammals today. While its fins are not strong enough to walk on, the bone structure is similar to that of all limbed animals. Titaalik has fins and scales, like primitive fishes, but also has shoulders, ribs and a neck. The ribs provide support for the body and aid Titaalik in breathing. Titaalik most likely had lungs and gills. The swim bladders in today’s fish most likely evolved from the lungs in primitive fishes and tetra pods—like Titaalik. Scientists are very excited about reaching this evolutionary milestone, a skeletal progression from fish to land-roaming tetra pods.
"Nsf.gov - National Science Foundation (NSF) News - New Fossils Fill the Evolutionary Gap Between Fish and Land Animals - US National Science Foundation (NSF)." Nsf.gov - National Science Foundation - US National Science Foundation (NSF). 5 Apr. 2006. Web. 13 May 2010. http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=106807
Sarfati, Jonathan. "Tiktaalik Roseae—a Fishy ‘missing Link’." 15 Apr. 2006. Web. 13 May 2010.
Our Remarkable Discovery!
by Janessa Calderon
(Canadian Rockies,1909) The recent discovery of fossils of the Burgess Shale may drastically change the way we view organisms and their history.
The Burgess Shale is an outcropping of the Canadian Rockies rich in Cambrian era fossils discovered earlier this year by paleontologist Charles Walcott. Walcott and his team discovered around 65,000 fossils. These fossils may provide a window to what life was like in the Cambrian era. He was able to contribute to science this much because he found the Burgess Shale. The discoveries here have opened an entire world to what living creatures looked like in the past. This is a remarkable place to find delicate fossils. Burgess Shale is a site of astonishing fossil preservation, and records a diversity of animals found nowhere else.
p96124-Yoho_Park-Burgess_Shale_Yoho_National_Park.jpg
Since there are multiple fossil bearing layers of about 2 meters thick stacked 150 meters high and over 60,000 unique fossils have been found, which is very rare. Most of the fossils are arthropods. Something that has kept this unique is that unlike the way most fossils are made by simply just sinking to the bottom of an ocean. In the Burgess Shale the organisms lived in mud banks called phyllopod beds,when water currents formed into mud slides pushing the organisms into the mud. This allowed preservation to begin immediately leaving the organism in spectacular shape. And this meant it left exoskeletons, limbs, and infillings of the gut. It is said to be that these organisms are 505 million years old.
The Burgess Shale may serve of great importance to science, as it appears to be the missing link to the Cambrian era.
References: "Burgess Shale Home Page." Paleobiology Home. Web. 18 May 2010. <__http://paleobiology.si.edu/burgess/index.html__>. The Burgess Shale." UCMP - University of California Museum of Paleontology. Web. 19 May 2010. <__http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/cambrian/burgess.html__>
by Janessa Calderon
(Canadian Rockies,1909) The recent discovery of fossils of the Burgess Shale may drastically change the way we view organisms and their history.
The Burgess Shale is an outcropping of the Canadian Rockies rich in Cambrian era fossils discovered earlier this year by paleontologist Charles Walcott. Walcott and his team discovered around 65,000 fossils. These fossils may provide a window to what life was like in the Cambrian era. He was able to contribute to science this much because he found the Burgess Shale. The discoveries here have opened an entire world to what living creatures looked like in the past. This is a remarkable place to find delicate fossils. Burgess Shale is a site of astonishing fossil preservation, and records a diversity of animals found nowhere else.
p96124-Yoho_Park-Burgess_Shale_Yoho_National_Park.jpg
Since there are multiple fossil bearing layers of about 2 meters thick stacked 150 meters high and over 60,000 unique fossils have been found, which is very rare. Most of the fossils are arthropods. Something that has kept this unique is that unlike the way most fossils are made by simply just sinking to the bottom of an ocean. In the Burgess Shale the organisms lived in mud banks called phyllopod beds,when water currents formed into mud slides pushing the organisms into the mud. This allowed preservation to begin immediately leaving the organism in spectacular shape. And this meant it left exoskeletons, limbs, and infillings of the gut. It is said to be that these organisms are 505 million years old.
The Burgess Shale may serve of great importance to science, as it appears to be the missing link to the Cambrian era.
References: "Burgess Shale Home Page." Paleobiology Home. Web. 18 May 2010. <__http://paleobiology.si.edu/burgess/index.html__>. The Burgess Shale." UCMP - University of California Museum of Paleontology. Web. 19 May 2010. <__http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/cambrian/burgess.html__>
