Evidence for Evolution. Tiktaalik. Tiktaalik /tɪkˈtɑːlɨk/ is a monospecific genus of extinct sarcopterygian (lobe-finned fish) from the late Devonian period, with many features akin to those of tetrapods (four-legged animals).[1] The Tiktaalik is understood as representative of the evolutionary transition from fish to amphibians.
It is an example from several lines of ancient sarcopterygian fish developing adaptations to the oxygen-poor shallow-water habitats of its time, which led to the evolution of tetrapods.[2] The Tiktaalik and animals similar to the Tiktaalik are understood to be the common ancestors of a wide swathe of all terrestrial fauna: amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.[3] Well-preserved fossils were found in 2004 on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada. Description[edit] Restoration. Fish With First Neck. Tiktaalik's less fishy skull features suggest its head was increasingly more mobile.
Cranial changes included a flattened palate, a solidly constructed head, and a much shortened hyomandibula—a bone that supports the gill cover. This suggests the animal wasn't particularly good at pumping water into its body, Downs said. Tiktaalik.