Official Seal
This cute, otter-like guy to the right is name puijila darwini, but you can call him Phil. Or whatever. Indeed, it matters not because he has been extinct for millions of yeas. FoxNews.com calls him a missing link, even though he is not, for the link was never missing.
What he is is a species of critter who is somewhere between land-walking animals like otters, and pinnipeds, like seals and walruses. A paleontologist who likes to bite on dynamite might be brave enough to term this a transitional fossil, as he clearly shows an evolutionary link between sea mammals and land mammals.
As you may know, creationists continuously cry out for proof of transitional fossils (even though all fossils are transitionary—like a gradient more than color bars—just as the animals we see today are transitioning to some future form). Well, here you go, creationists.
Of course, here is how the game is played. Paleontologists have finally found another but inarguable transitionary fossil between land critters and sea critters. The Czar’s prediction: creationists will now demand to see the transition fossils between Phil and seals. “Don’t have one do ya?” they’ll mock. “‘Cuz there are none!”
And, in 20 years time, some lucky Canadian paleontologist will find a new 10-million-year-old fossil we might call Jenny that clearly shows a link from Phil to Jenny, and from Jenny to seal. And the creationists will laugh at poor science, saying there are no transitional fossils between them either, now.
Sigh. There are none so blind….
Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.