1. From Fins to Limbs.
- Author
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Clack, Jennifer A.
- Subjects
- *
ICHTHYOSTEGA , *BIOLOGICAL evolution , *FOSSILS , *FISHES , *ANIMALS , *ICHTHYOSTEGIDAE - Abstract
The article discusses how four-legged land animals evolved from their fish ancestors. Ichthyostega was the oldest known tetrapod, an animal having four legs with toes. On the other side of the evolutionary divide was Eusthenopteron, a fish that was about ten million years older than Ichthyostega. The two iconic animals stimuated specualtion about how creatures crawled out of the water to conquer the land. It was learned that Ichthyostega first came to light in the early 1930s. Another creature called Acanthostega was known. Tiktaalik, a fish-tetrapod missing link, was discovered in the Canadian Arctic and made front-page news in April 2006. more...
- Published
- 2006