Tiktaalik fossil map
Where fossils of Tiktaalik have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 390 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 390 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early tetrapods & amphibians |
|---|---|
| Lived | 382.31–372.15 million years ago (Frasnian) |
| Periods | Devonian |
| Family | Panderichthyidae |
| Named by | Daeschler et al. 2006 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Canada |
| Rock formations | Fram |
About Tiktaalik
Tiktaalik (; Inuktitut: ᑎᒃᑖᓕᒃ [tiktaːlik]) is a monospecific genus of extinct sarcopterygian (lobe-finned fish) from the late Devonian Period, about 375 Mya (million years ago), having many features similar to those of tetrapods (four-legged animals). Tiktaalik is estimated to have had a total length of 1.25–2.75 metres (4.1–9.0 ft) on the basis of various specimens.
Unearthed in Arctic Canada, Tiktaalik is a non-tetrapod member of Osteichthyes (bony fish), complete with scales and gills—but it has a triangular, flattened head and unusual, cleaver-shaped fins. Its fins have thin ray bones for paddling like most fish, but they also have sturdy interior bones that would have allowed Tiktaalik to prop itself up in shallow water and use its limbs for support as most four-legged animals do. Those fins and other mixed characteristics mark Tiktaalik as a crucial transition fossil, a link in evolution from swimming fish to four-legged vertebrates. This and similar animals might be the common ancestors of all vertebrate terrestrial fauna.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Tiktaalik (revision 1379611537), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in.
