description Tiktaalik roseae Overview
Tiktaalik roseae is an extinct lobe-finned fish from the Late Devonian, known from fossils discovered on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada, in 2004. It combined fish characteristics, including scales and fin rays, with a mobile neck, robust ribs, a flattened skull, and limb-like internal bones capable of supporting the body in shallow water. These features make Tiktaalik important for studying anatomical changes near the evolutionary transition from aquatic vertebrates to early limbed tetrapods.
insights Ranking position
Tiktaalik roseae ranks #1 of 249 in the Fossil ranking, ahead of Sue (T. rex FMNH PR 2081).
help Tiktaalik roseae FAQ
Why is Tiktaalik considered a link between fish and land vertebrates?
Tiktaalik retained scales, fins, and gills but also had a mobile neck, strong ribs, and wrist-like bones inside its front fins. That combination illuminates the transition toward early tetrapods.
Where and when was Tiktaalik discovered?
The fossils were found in 2004 on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada, by a team including Neil Shubin, Edward Daeschler, and Farish Jenkins. The discovery was formally described in 2006.
Could Tiktaalik actually walk on land?
Tiktaalik had robust fin skeletons capable of supporting its body in shallow water or on mudflats. It lacked true digits, so it was not walking like later four-limbed tetrapods.
How old is Tiktaalik roseae?
Tiktaalik lived about 375 million years ago during the Late Devonian. Researchers deliberately searched Devonian rocks because they fell between older lobe-finned fish and early limbed vertebrates.
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