This necklace depicts Tiktaalik, an animal that lived some 375 Million years ago, when the lands were lushly carpeted in the first forests, and aswarm with arthropods, but where, as yet, no vertebrate walked. Into this vacuum, Tiktaalik, or some near-relation walked, and then proceeded to diversify into the reptiles, birds, mammals, and other land vertebrates, a group known collectively as the “Tetrapods”.
The discovery of Tiktaalik, in 2004, was the product of a multi-year effort, mounted well north of the Arctic Circle. This expedition, whose goal was to search for fish that were in the process of transitioning to life on land, was a resounding success! Such transitional animals, known as “fishapods”, possess a mixture of fish and tetrapod traits, and Tiktallik falls squarely in the middle of this group.
Oooh, an evolution necklace!
