PRESS RELEASE

May 6, 2011

MEDIA CONTACT: Stephanie Lowe, (513) 287-7054 office, (513) 373-3242 mobile, slowe@cincymuseum.org

Fishapod fossil now on display at Cincinnati Museum Center

CINCINNATI - A replica of a fishapod that lived approximately 375 million years ago is now on display in the Museum of Natural History & Science at Cincinnati Museum Center. 

Museum Center is one of only a few institutions around the nation with a replica of this fossil, originally discovered in northern Canada in 2004. Neil Shubin, PhD, paleontologist and professor of anatomy at the University of Chicago, was one of three to discover this fossil, located in rocks formed from Late Devonian river sediments. Edward Daeschler, PhD, of the Academy of Natural Sciences and Harvard University Professor Farish Jenkins, Jr., PhD, also contributed to the find.

Dubbed the “missing link” between fish and land animals, the Tiktaalik roseae provides a glimpse into a time when fish ventured out onto land. With a combination of primitive fish and derived tetrapod characteristics, Tiktaalik has been characterized as a “fishapod” by Dr. Shubin. It is believed that these creatures were weight bearing, due to the basic wrist bones and simple fingers located in the fins. 

Dr. Shubin, provost at the Field Museum and author of Your Inner Fish: A Journey Through the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body, will give a public lecture about his discovery at Museum Center on May 19. Free tickets are available first come, first serve, beginning at 6 p.m. at the cocktail reception in the Museum of Natural History & Science. Reception is open to the public and includes a cash bar. Lecture is at 7:30 p.m. in the Reakirt Auditorium with a book signing to follow. Books are available for purchase at Museum Center.

Museum Center gratefully acknowledges support from the Department of Geology at the University of Cincinnati.

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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration. As one of the top cultural attractions in the Midwest, Cincinnati Museum Center has served as an educational, research and entertainment resource to millions of visitors from around the world. Organizations within Museum Center include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. These organizations combine to serve more than one million visitors annually, reaching out to nearly 400,000 young people through hands-on exhibits and programs. Originally built in 1933 as a train station, Union Terminal stands as one of the last remaining grand-scale Art Deco style railroad terminals. The building is a National Historic Landmark and was renovated and reopened as Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990. For information, call 1-800-733-2077 or visit www.cincymuseum.org.