Hi Zeke, impressive job. Kudos well deserved
Following from Alex's question re. your definition of a transitional fossil:
If all life is considered transitional (i.e. experiencing descent with modification) aren't all fossils transitional unless ultimate (i.e. the final form before extinction)?
Following from Alex's question re. your definition of a transitional fossil:
(November 26, 2014 at 9:46 pm)Metazoa Zeke Wrote:WHAT IS A TRANSITIONAL FOSSIL
Not every fossil can be a transitional fossil. There are some qualifications to be a transitional fossil.
A) The fossil must be with in a certain time range, if it is not despite its looks, it is not considered a transitional fossil what so ever
B) It must either show a connection between two groups. For example, just because a fossil is in the right time area in the fossil record but is not a direct ancestor does not make it non-transitional, as it shows a connection between the two groups, and many times genetic evidence confirms this as well.
C) It does not necessarily have to be extinct. Some members of a genus may be transitional, but there are many species in one genus(and as you will see later on class). It also does not matter if that animal is some what still alive in some way.
If all life is considered transitional (i.e. experiencing descent with modification) aren't all fossils transitional unless ultimate (i.e. the final form before extinction)?
Sum ergo sum
