So the other day, we had to read a few chapters of "Inner Fish" for homework. It was a really interesting book, mostly because it was detailed about how and where and when Dr. Shubin found the Tiktaalik, and the trouble he went through trying to determine all the factors of a fossil. The chapters were mostly about his finding of Tiktaalik, the transitional fossil between fish and amphibians.
Tiktaalik, unlike fish, has eyes on top of its head rather than on the side, and has a flat skull, which allows it to see predators above water before they come. It also has a bit of a neck, which means that it can look around without wiggling its whole body like a fish. Another amazing feature of the Tiktaalik that makes it the perfect transitional fossil is the short forearms it has. With forearms, Tiktaalik can do push ups, which allows it to escape easily out of mud or sand, and therefore survive better against predators. Unfortunately, fish only have boneless fins, which makes them easy prey when they are stuck in the mud or in the sand.
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