April 6, 2006
THE ART OF SCIENCE
Fossil fish may be link to land animals (Anne McIlroy, Globe and Mail, April 6th, 2006)
Fossil hunters in the Canadian Arctic have found the remains of an ancient fish that had eyes on top of its head, like a crocodile, and muscular fins that it could have used like legs.In a report in Wedmesday's edition of the British journal Nature, they say the have found an important missing link between fish and land animals.
"This animal represents the transition from water to land," said Neil Shubin, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago.[...]
Much of the fossils value comes from insights into the order in which tools appeared in fish that might have helped a transition to land, said Jennifer Clack of Cambridge University, an expert unconnected with the study.
Knowing that detail about the transition from fish to land-dweller, she said, "might help us to unravel why it happened at all. Why did creatures come out of the water and get legs and walk away?"
It is impossible to tell if Tiktaalik was a direct ancestor of land vertebrates, she said, but if a scientist set out to design a plausible candidate, "you'd probably come up with something like this."
Posted by Peter Burnet at April 6, 2006 6:52 AM
It helps if such scientists don't bother to read easily available references when talking about these wonderful, rare, capabilities of fish to "transition" to dry land. I await breathless articles on the "Walking Catfish"
"The walking catfish (Clarias batrachus), recently introduced into southern Florida, uses its pectoral-fin spines as anchors to prevent
jackknifing as its body musculature produces snakelike movements and can progress remarkable distances over dry land." (Yerger R.W.,
"Ostariophysi", Encyclopaedia Britannica, Benton: Chicago, 15th edition, 1984, 13:761)
"Another odd catfish, the so-called walking catfish, Clarias batrachus, originally occurred in eastern India and Southeast Asia.
In 1968, it was discovered near Boca Raton, Florida, following its import by tropical-fish dealers. Its maximum length is 56 cm (22
in). In "walking" to areas of deeper water in dry spells, this catfish moves by a slithering motion combined with a thrashing of its
tail. In addition, a stout spine in each pectoral fin digs into the ground to help balance and propel the fish. It is able to breathe air by means of a modified gill arch that forms an air chamber."
(Chambers K.A., "Catfish," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1993 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1993 Funk & Wagnall's
Corporation)
mmmmmmmmm... walking catfish
Posted by: Homer Simpson at April 6, 2006 9:39 AMMr. Williams:
It helps you, as well, if you don't bother to read the article in whole:
"It had scales and fins like a fish, but had ribs, neck, and wrist bones like a land animal. It could breathe under water, with gills, but also had nostrils and lungs."
That ain't no walking catfish. It sounds a lot like one of those "transitional fossils" creationists and ID'ers complain there aren't enough of.
Posted by: M. Bulger at April 6, 2006 10:14 AMI loved the use of the word "design" by Miss Clack.
Posted by: Jim in Chicago at April 6, 2006 11:05 AMOr the mudskipper.
We don't need to imagine transitional creatures, they are all around us.
Posted by: Robert Duquette at April 6, 2006 11:12 AMI assume Dr. Clack will be hounded out of academia now, since she's obviously a raving Creationist.
Posted by: b at April 6, 2006 1:25 PMOnce upon a time... ... ... ... and that's how the fish got his feet. Just so.
The End.
Posted by: Noel at April 6, 2006 8:39 PM"this is the biggest news since the discovery of the jackelope" -- scott ort
Posted by: toe at April 6, 2006 9:38 PM