View Tiktaalik's bones in 3-D
From time to time researchers scan fossil bones with a three-dimensional scanner. The data collected can help advance research in ways traditional methods of analysis cannot. Upon discovering Tiktaalik's pelvis in a block of sediments, Ted Daeschler sent it to be scanned by the Idaho Virtualization Lab at Idaho State University. The resulting images let anyone, anywhere see the fossil in incredible detail without having to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to see the real thing.
As you rotate the pelvis, can you locate where the hip joint is? What features stand out? Does this look like a joint that had a wide or a limited range of motion? What do you think this says about the way Tiktaalik was using its hind fins?
3-D scans of Tiktaalik's pelvis
Tiktaalik's pelvis as it is rotated along the x-axis (click image to start rotation):
Tiktaalik's pelvis as it is rotated along the y-axis (click image to start rotation):
3-D scans of Tiktaalik's skull
In 2009, the team had specimen E's skull scanned in a three-dimensional scanner. This data will allow researchers to see the internal structure of the skull without having to physically take it apart, which would essentially destroy the specimen. Over the coming months, the data will be interpreted and analyzed. With any luck, the conclusions will provide further insight into this unique animal.
As you look at these images of the skull, ask yourself what living creature it reminds you of. What features in particular make you think this? What conclusions can you draw from these features about where the animal may have lived and what it might have eaten?
Tiktaalik's skull as it is rotated along the y-axis:
Tiktaalik's skull as it is rotated along the x-axis:
Tiktaalik's skull as it is rotated along the z-axis: