Status message
Apply today for the HHMI BioInteractive Ambassador Academy! The Academy is a multi-year professional development experience designed to support evidence-based teaching practices. We’re looking for educators with diverse backgrounds and teaching contexts who are committed to centering equity in their classrooms.Great Transitions: The Origin of Tetrapods
Resource Type
Duration
00:17:11Description
This film describes the discovery of Tiktaalik, a key fossil that illuminates the evolutionary origins of four-legged animals.
The Origin of Tetrapods provides a firsthand account of the search for Tiktaalik, a creature with a mix of features common to fish and four-legged animals. Tiktaalik, along with a series of species that existed before and after, illuminates key evolutionary steps in the transition of life from water to land.
The “Abbreviated Film Guide” provides a short summary of the film and key concepts.
An audio descriptive version of the film is available via our media player. Select the “AD” button to enable audio description.
Key Terms
Charles Darwin, evolutionary transition, fossil, paleobiology, tetrapod, Tiktaalik, transitional fossil
Primary Literature
Daeschler, Edward B., Neil H. Shubin, and Farish A. Jenkins Jr. “A Devonian tetrapod-like fish and the evolution of the tetrapod body plan.” Nature 440 (2006): 757–763. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04639.
Terms of Use
Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.
Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)
Version History
NGSS (2013)
HS-LS4.A
AP Biology (2019)
EVO-1, EVO-2, EVO-3
IB Biology (2016)
5.1, 5.4, 10.3
AP Environmental Science (2020)
Topic(s): 2.6, 2.7
IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)
8.1
Vision and Change (2009)
CC1, CC2