World-renowned paleontologist to visit Idaho Museum of Natural History to deliver lecture Nov. 11 on ‘New Discoveries from the Age of Fishes’

POCATELLO — Ted Daeschler, of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, will deliver a free lecture “New Discoveries from the Age of Fishes including the Origin of Limbed Vertebrates” at the Idaho Museum of Natural History at Idaho State University Nov. 11 at 6 p.m.

He will describe exploration and discovery of a wide variety of Devonian-age fossils from Pennsylvania and high above the Arctic Circle in the Nunavut Territory of Arctic Canada. Among those discoveries is Tiktaalik roseae, an animal that is widely recognized as the best example of a transitional form between finned and limbed vertebrates.

Taktaalik roseae is a 375 million-year-old fossil with traits of both fish and early-limbed vertebrates. It was discovered in the Canadian Arctic in 2004. This discovery has shed light on a pivotal point in the history of life on Earth, when the first fish ventured onto land. It looks like a cross between a primitive fish and an amphibian.

The evening will begin with paleo-trivia, so attendees are encouraged to get teams of two to six people together to compete in a trivia contest about extinct creatures. Prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place.

The lecture and trivia will be held in the IMNH Discovery Room, just off the museum lobby. The IMNH is located at 698 E Dillon St., ISU Building #12, in Pocatello, Idaho.