Fishapod Fossil: Another Missing Link
April 6th, 2006Darwinist’s rejoice and creationists look the other way after the discovery of “a prehistoric critter that represents a missing link in the evolutionary chain”. Paleontologists from the University of Chicago and several other institutions dug the fossils out of rock formations discovered on Ellesmere Island, in the Canadian Arctic.
Fishapod dates from about 383 million years ago. It had the scales, teeth and gills of a fish, but also a big, curved rib cage that suggests the creature had lungs as well. The ribs interlock, moreover, unlike a fish’s, implying they were able to bear fishapod’s weight—an unnecessary trait in a fish. It had a neck—most unfishlike. And, most surprising of all, its pectoral fins included bones that look like nothing less than a primitive wrist and fingers.
Boingboing has the fishpod details.
April 6th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
hey…i figured out why all those songs have satanic messages! The artists sold their souls to the devil for rock and roll….and he (satan) said hey….as long as im in the song when they’re played backwards!
April 6th, 2006 at 9:46 pm
I would say that the creature in question is nothing but an early version of a seal . Just kidding, an alligator.
April 6th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Here’s what I think happened . When these seals came ashore they were probably taken advantage of by eskimoe dogs. This is how they came to have the head of a dog as well as flippers as shown in the picture.
April 7th, 2006 at 6:36 am
Greetings from Italy :-)
April 7th, 2006 at 10:51 am
This seal does not look an awful lot unlike James Marples of the third ward. Isn’t it uncanny?
April 7th, 2006 at 10:57 am
On a serious note, animals still exist that look pretty much like the aforementioned creature found in the arctic. They’re called mud skippers and you can look them up on the internet. Seriously…same thing, I studied them when I was in university.
April 7th, 2006 at 12:00 pm
I know all about mudskippers:
I’m sure the scientists in the article are well aware of them also.