description Ted Daeschler Overview
Ted Daeschler is an American vertebrate paleontologist associated with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. In 2004, he co-discovered the transitional fossil Tiktaalik roseae in the Canadian Arctic, an important find illustrating the evolutionary transition of fish to tetrapods during the Late Devonian period.
help Ted Daeschler FAQ
What is Ted Daeschler known for discovering?
In 2004, Ted Daeschler helped discover Tiktaalik roseae in the Canadian Arctic with Neil Shubin and Farish Jenkins. The fossil is important because it combines fish features with traits associated with early limbed vertebrates. [Drexel University](https://drexel.edu/news/archive/2014/january/tiktaalik-evolution-of-walking)
Why is Tiktaalik roseae considered a transitional fossil?
Tiktaalik had gills, scales, and fins, but also a mobile neck, robust ribcage, primitive lungs, and fin bones resembling shoulders, elbows, and wrists. Those features document part of the evolutionary transition from lobe-finned fish toward land vertebrates. [Drexel University](https://drexel.edu/news/archive/2014/january/tiktaalik-evolution-of-walking)
Was Tiktaalik the direct ancestor of all land animals?
Not necessarily. Tiktaalik is best understood as a close evolutionary relative that shows what some transitional features looked like, rather than as the single direct ancestor of every later tetrapod. The species lived about 375 million years ago.
Where does Ted Daeschler work?
Daeschler is associated with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia. He has been at the Academy since 1987 and joined the Drexel University faculty in 2011. [Drexel University biography](https://drexel.edu/coas/faculty-research/faculty-directory/bees/Ted-Daeschler/)
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