Fossil Evidence
- By Rima Chaddha
- Posted 11.01.07
- NOVA
In 2004, scientists digging in the Canadian Arctic unearthed fossils of a half-fish, half-amphibian that all but confirmed paleontologists' theories about how land-dwelling tetrapods–four-limbed animals, including us–evolved from fish. It is a classic example of a transitional form, one that bridges a so-called evolutionary gap between different types of animal. In this slide show, examine five important cases.
Launch Interactive
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Examine five transitional species that fill so-called gaps in the fossil record.
Credits
Images
- (all illustrations)
- © NOVA/WGBH Educational Foundation
- (nerve cells)
- © Image Source/Corbis
- (red blood cells)
- © Micro Discovery/Corbis
- (Hox genes of fly, Hox genes of mouse)
- adapted by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press/original image © Sinauer Associates, Inc.
- (stained fly embryo, fly images, imaginal disk images)
- Courtesy Nipam Patel
- (baby)
- © Julie Merchant/istockphoto.com
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