
In the case of Tiktaalik, what has been found is the holy grail of evolution: a fish that has begun to develop the characteristics found in land animals. These include fins, scales, and the jaws of a piscine, along with a wrist structure, a flexible neck, and a rib cage like a tetrapods.
The discoverers reported that in addition to being in remarkably intact condition, it was just possible to make out a faint design embossed on the scales:
