FISH DOG
Sonya, the World Heritage Pointer, Explores Miguasha National Park

World Heritage Site: Miguasha National Park
State/Province: Quebec
Country: Canada
Continent: North America
Year it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site: 1999
Maps: Miguasha National Park Province of Quebec Canada
Episodes: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3

Episode 3: Looking Through The Lens

The museum was filled with beautiful displays of fish fossils.

"It's like we're inside an aquarium," Sonya said.

"Except the fish are made of rock," Francois added.

A guide was describing the Age of Fishes to a group of visitors. "We have fossils of five of the six Devonian fish groups."

"Let's go over there," Olivier whispered.

In the next rooms, he pointed out the major features of several fish groups.

"These are the jawless fish."

Francois rubbed his chin. "No jaw?"

"Right. And here are the armored fish. See the bony plates on their skin?"

"Just like a knight's armor!" Sonya said.

"This group has spines," Francois read on a sign.

"Yes, they're the largest group," Olivier said. "They were at the bottom of the food chain."

"That means they were the first ones to get eaten," Sonya explained to Francois.

"These fish were the fast swimmers," Olivier said. "Cod fish come from this group."

"We eat cod all the time," Francois remarked.

"And here," Olivier pointed at a fossil of an entire adult fish, "is the Prince of Miguasha."

Sonya and Francois stared at the Prince.

"It's part of the lobe-finned fish group."

"What does lobe-finned mean," Sonya asked.

"Their fins were fleshy like Francois's ear lobes," Olivier explained.

"Hey, Francois, maybe you can swim faster if you flap your ear lobes," Sonya laughed.

"They also had bones inside their fins, just like our legs do."

"The Prince of Miguasha also had lungs and a thick backbone."

"He sounds like he was an animal," Francois said.

"He certainly had many similar features."

"That's why paleontologists thought the Prince of Miguasha was the link between fish and the first land creatures with four legs and a backbone."

"Is that why they named him the Prince?" Sonya asked.

"Yes!" Olivier grinned. "He was the missing piece of the puzzle."

"Are you ready to see the lab?"

A man dressed in a white lab coat greeted them. His name was Norman.

"Come take a look," he invited them.

They took turns looking through the microscope.

"Wow, I can see a lot of details," Sonya said.

"Each fossil gives us a clue," Norman explained.

"They're like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle."

"And scientists keep finding pieces to fill the puzzle," Olivier added.

They watched Norman use an air drill and small pick to expose more of the fossil.

"Just think," he said. "You're looking at more than a fossil."

"A long, long time ago this fish was alive, just like you and me."

"Did it swim around in lots of water?" Francois asked.

"Yes."

"Did it eat other creatures for dinner?" Sonya asked.

"Yes, it did," Norman said.

"Really?" The two asked in unison.

"Yes, really!"

"Wow. Let me look at it again." Sonya said. And she peered into the microscope for a long, long time.

THE END

Read a non-fiction feature article about the Gaspe Peninsula.

Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the sights and sounds of this World Heritage Site.

Test your understanding of words used in this story with the Word Match game.

FISH DOG Sonya, the World Heritage Pointer, Explores Miguasha National Park

FISH DOG
Sonya, the World Heritage Pointer, Explores Miguasha National Park