RE: Tiktaalik

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Dan Varner wrote:

> Here's an article with a  restoration. DV :
>
> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/0405_060405_fish.html

In overall appearance, _Tiktaalik_ looks like what would happen if a 
crocodile mated with a newt.  (Such unions are forbidden in the U.S., but 
they might be permitted in Canada.)

The last paragraph in the article by Daeschler et al. (2006; p.762) begins 
with this...

"Major elements of the tetrapod body plan originated as a succession of 
intermediate morphologies that evolved mosaically and in parallel among 
sarcopterygians closely related to tetrapods, allowing them to exploit 
diverse habitats in the Devonian."

Replace "tetrapod", "sarcopterygian", and "Devonian" with "bird", 
"theropod", and "Jurassic/ Cretaceous", and I think you have the story of 
basal avian evolution in a nutshell.


P.S.  On a totally different note, and to answer a few very funny off-list 
queries regarding a previous (and silly) message of mine.  When I wrote...

> When I saw "Western Desert" and "God-like" in the same sentence, I just 
> assumed the story was about Dick Cheney."

...I was not actually saying that I thought Mr Dick Cheney was "God-like".  
Perish the thought.  In fact, when I think of the current veep, such 
comparisons don't usually spring to mind.  (Greater chance of comparisons to 
the "other guy", perhaps.  :-)  )

Cheers

Tim