You’ve likely heard of the Jurassic and the Cretaceous, but do you know about the Devonian? With its incredible diversity of terrestrial life, this fascinating period in geological history — hundreds of millions of years before the age of the dinosaurs — was pivotal in shaping the world as we know it today. All vertebrates living on land, including humans, stem from the remarkable creatures that began the move onto land in the Devonian Period. 

Life Onto Land: The Devonian centers around the Academy’s internationally celebrated paleontological research and the incredible discovery of Tiktaalik roseae. Unearthed in 2004 on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic territory of Nunavut, this transitional fossil has been critical in piecing together a picture of how fins became limbs — or, of how terrestrial, limbed vertebrates arose from aquatic, lobe-finned ancestors. 

This new exhibition features the original holotype specimen of Tiktaalik roseae and a newly commissioned Tiktaalik model by Tyler Keillor. See enchanting drawings by Spanish artist Aina Bestard, breathtaking footage of Arctic and Antarctic research sites and the vivid scientific illustrations of Scott Rawlins. Experience the stunning plant and animal fossils collected from Devonian rock found here in Pennsylvania and around the world.  

Life Onto Land reveals the diverse marine, freshwater swamp and terrestrial ecosystems of this period, as well as the amazing scientific discoveries of the Academy’s team of paleontologists who continue to contribute to our understanding of this transformational time in our planet’s history. 

All exhibits are included with the purchase of a general admission ticket.

Academy scientists spend their days exploring the natural world, caring for our collection of 19 million scientific specimens and working to solve the most pressing environmental issues facing our communities today. Make a gift to support their work.

Join us September 26 for A Transforming Earth: The Legacy of the Devonian Period. 

In conjunction with the landmark exhibition Life Onto Land: The Devonian, the Academy presents a panel discussion with Academy scientist Ted Daeschler, paleoecologist Diana Boyer and paleobotanist Jonathan Wilson, moderated by Academy scientist Jason Downs.

For more information and to register, please visit the Academy Town Square page.

Exhibit Highlights

Your Inner Fish

Last Saturday of every month 1:30 p.m.

Have you ever wondered why our bodies look the way they do? Why our hands have five fingers instead of six? Why we walk on two legs instead of four?

In Your Inner Fish, paleontologists and Academy scientists delve deep into the past to answer these questions. The 2014 film series reveals a startling truth: hidden within the human body is a story of life on Earth.

It took more than 350 million years for the human body to form, and this history can be traced back to the water's edge where life moved onto land and fins became limbs. Each of us carries the genetic imprint of creatures that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. From them, we inherited our most remarkable features — as well as quirks, like bad backs and hernias.

Join us for a screening of Your Inner Fish and meet the ancestor you never knew you had. Based on a best-selling book by paleobiologist Neil Shubin, this scientific journey takes us from the Arctic Circle to Pennsylvania, searching the fossil record for the many ways that our animal ancestors shaped our anatomical destiny.

Learn how our hands evolved from the fins of prehistoric fish. Discover how our skin, hair and teeth can be linked to early reptiles and how our color vision is a legacy from ancient primates. Come face- –to -face with your "inner fish" in a completely new take on the human body.

After seeing the world through this evolutionary lens, you'll never look at yourself in quite the same way again!