Tiktaalik

Tiktaalik, a species of extinct sarcopterygian fish, is classified as having lived during the late Devonian period. Using evolutionary dating methods, it is dated to have lived around 375 million years ago. It is assumed by evolutionists to be the missing link between fish and tetrapods, supposedly closing a gap between the Panderichthys and the Acanthostega; it was even dubbed "fishapod" by one of its discoverers, Neil Shubin. The Tiktaalik was discovered on Ellesmere Island on April 6, 2006.

Characteristics
The specimen found consisted of a skull and several bone fragments, namely, the shoulder, wrist, and fin, among others. According to evolutionists, the Tiktaalik was an intermediate form between sea and land animals. This conclusion was reached because of Tiktaalik's similarities to both fish and tetrapods. For instance, it is assumed to have had the scales and gills of a fish and yet also to have had tetrapod limbs and lungs, as well as a mobile neck. Its alleged half-fish and half-tetrapod characteristics included limb bones and joints which resembled those of a tetrapod but had fins rather than toes on the "feet".

For all these features, however, it is clear that Tiktaalik was simply a fish; its lobed fins appear better suited for swimming in water rather than crawling on land, and other fish, such as the Coelacanth, were also thought to be "missing links" until they were discovered to be some form of fish. The fins were not connected to the main skeleton so it does not bear the weight of the animal on the ground. It has been placed by evolutionists alongside Archaeopteryx, but they fail to see that neither animal was a transitional form; archaeopteryx was a full bird, tiktaalik was a full fish.

Related References

 * Tiktaalik by Wikipedia
 * Gone fishin' for a missing link? by David Menton and Mark Looy. April 6, 2006
 * Tiktaalik—a fishy ‘missing link’ by Jonathan Sarfati. 15 April 2006

Tiktaalik