Grise Fiord (Apr 10/06) - Inuit were only shipped to Ellesmere Island 50 years ago, but American scientists have found a fossil that dates back 375 million years.

Meet the Tiktaalik Roseae. If you were on the land near Grise Fiord 375 million years ago, you might have seen one of these crawling from the ocean on to the land. At nine feet long, this prehistoric monster would have given a fisherman a fight. - artwork courtesy of Shawn Gould and the National Geographic Society

They've named it Tiktaalik Roseae, after the Inuktitut word for "large freshwater fish." Scientists believe this fish provides a major clue about how animals left the sea to live on the land. It has the scales of a fish, but the ribs, neck and bones of a mammal. "This animal represents the transition from water to land, the part of history that includes ourselves," said Neil Shubin from the University of Chicago.

"I think this land has some interesting stuff. It is a new country for us. Inuit have only been here for 50 years," said Grise Fiord outfitter and hunter Larry Audlaluk.

Audlaluk wasn't surprised to hear about the find. He's seen interesting things on the land as well.

"As an Inuk hunter, I think this has a lot of meaning. On the land, you have to be extra observant, and you see a lot of things. We were hunting last year and we found a skull on the shoreline. It had some strange features, so we sent pictures to Iqaluit to scientists, and they couldn't tell us what it was," said Audlaluk.

In true Inuit fashion, the scientists found the fish while delayed by weather. They couldn't reach the site they were looking for, so they used the day to explore around their camp.

That's when they found the fossil fish. When told about this, Audlaluk laughed. He has found things on weather delays, too.

"There were three of us, and we were iced in, so we couldn't get out. We went for a walk and found some fossils we couldn't understand," said Audlaluk.

The scientists believe that 375 million years ago, Ellesmere Island was much like the Mississippi Delta today, flood plains and a sub-tropical climate.

When he hears that, Grise Fiord assistant senior administrative assistant Marty Kuluguqtuq makes a global-warming joke.

"What goes around comes around," said Kuluguqtuq.

Kuluguqtuq likes the name of the fish, and the fact that it was found on Ellesmere Island.

"I haven't heard of a fossil that big here before. There's been stories around town of dinosaur footprints, so who knows," said Kuluguqtuq.