Tiktaalik is a transitional fossil; it is to tetrapods what Archaeopteryx is to birds, troodonts and dromaeosaurids. 1  While it may be that neither is ancestor to any living animal, they serve as evidence that intermediates between very different types of vertebrates did once exist.
Minnesota became a part of the United States as the Minnesota Territory in 1849, and became the 32nd U.S. state on May 11, 1858.
Quick Facts. 1  Admission to Statehood: May 11, 1858 (32nd State) 2  Area: Area: 86,943 sq.mi (225,182 sq.km.), 12th. Land: 79,617 sq.mi. 3  Constitution: Minnesota's Constitution , 32nd State. 4  Capital City: Saint Paul. 5  Nickname: North Star State / Land of 10,000 Lakes. 6  Population (2013): 5,420,380; Rank: 21 of 50 | Population Quick Facts.