Throughout this past month, we talked a great deal about Tiktaalik. I was immediately interested in this topic and eager to learn more about the creature that came from water onto land. We learned a lot about this creature, however, I still wondered about how the scientists discovered this creature. I wanted to know how the scientists were able to specifically identify the area they did to look for him. Based on an interview with Neil Shubin, I found that he discovered the location in a textbook for undergraduate geology. The three locations where rock that was 380 to 360 million years old were Eastern North America, Greenland, and the Canadian Arctic. The scientists chose this location to look for the fossil because no one had previously looked in the area. It has been extremely challenging to get to the location because of various permits and money that was needed for the many expeditions (Shubin, 2006). It seems that the researchers were very resourceful and put in a lot of effort for their expedition.
In class, we had already learned that the Canadian Arctic, about 1500 km long, was a perfect location to search for fossils because there is virtually no vegetation. As we saw in the video, the land was barren, which really allowed the scientists to be able to search for fossils. I wonder if they would have discovered Tiktaalik if there were trees, plants, dirt, ect. on the land? It would have definitely make the process go much longer.
I also learned how hard it is actually locate fossils. Neil Shubin said that they had to go up to the location four different times over a course of six years. Each time they went up to the site, they discovered more and more. First nothing, then some bits of pieces, then larger pieces of fish fossils, and then in July of 2004 they discovered the whole skeleton to what they named Tiktaalik (Shubin, 2006). I am still in awe that they were able to find Tiktaalik mostly whole, after being in the rock for so long.
One last thing that I learned that was extremely interesting was why they named the vertebrae Tiktaalik. The Nunavut territory in Canada contained a group of elders who came up with the name. In their language, the Inuktitut language, it means a “large, freshwater fish” (Shubin, 2006). It is very fitting!
In terms of learning anything additional, I would like to know if any other fossils have been found that are descendants of Tiktaalik. It would be interesting to know if any full fossils of vertebrates have been found in the same area, as it is easier to identify with the barren land. I hope that the researchers return to that area because of the success they eventually achieved there in 2004.
Shubin, N. (n.d.). Tiktaalik roseae: Home. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
I also really enjoyed learning about Tiktaalic in class. My favorite part was what you mentioned in this blog post: the difficulty of searching for fossils, even in a barren landmass. When we watched the Tiktaalic video in class, it showed the different staggering levels of rock divided among what era they were from. It must have taken a very long time to divide those layers of rock into these different eras. I liked seeing how they showed the different rock layers: in different colors, so you could see their specific corresponding time period. I could really see, through this presentation of looking at earth layers how sudden environmental shifts impacted the environment—otherwise known as punctuated equilibrium.
ReplyDeleteBefore the video showed these staggering layers, I was a little skeptical about punctuated equilibrium. I thought gradualism, where a slow accumulation of changes causes evolution, made more sense; however, these different layers that the Tiktaalic video showed proved that severe environmental shifts paved way for the evolution of many organisms. This also made me wonder what specific environmental shift caused the emergence of creatures like Tiktaalic.
Tiktaalic has been one of the most interesting things we have learned in class this year so far. The concept that this animal could survive in both water and on land for extended amounts of time is mind blowing. In your blog you questioned if a full body fossilized skeleton of Tiktaalic has been found. In a recent 2014 article (http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/science-new-fossils-tiktaalik-roseae-01686.html) it is described how fossils containing parts of Tiktaalic's body have been found and linked together to create a whole animal, but that not one full fossil body skeleton has been found.
ReplyDeleteFor your further question asking have any fossils been found that are descendants of Tiktaalic? I think the answer is yes. In order to understand that Tiktaalic exists we have to also have fossils of animals that we believe came right after and before Tiktaalic. Just like you I thought this topic was very interesting and mind blowing when we talked about it in class.
I, too, find the story of the Tiktaalik and its discovery particularly fascinating! One of the first questions that popped into my head while watching the video was – how do you even find fossils? There is so much possible land where the Tiktaalik could be buried under, and especially in the video, the vast landscape seemed to look the same for miles around. I am still entirely perplexed at the scientists’ patience and passion for this work. Of course, as you mentioned in your post, it is incredibly lucky for Neil Shubin to have found the map hidden in a textbook. Could you imagine being dedicated to something for countless years but not being able to work on it for reasons out of your hands? As you outlined, they had to “go up to the location four different times over a course of six years.” Again, I simply admire their perseverance with this project; they still managed to be diligent with their work on a daily basis. Finally, your last paragraph was most intriguing to me – as a lover of linguistics, I know that the languages that exist in the Nunavut territory have multiple descriptive names for simple, everyday objects. It is perfect that the Tiktaalik is called a Tiktaalik, because that’s exactly what it is!
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