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Evolutionary theory says all animals that are walking on land actually evolved from sea-dwelling creatures at some point in the ancient past. To study this further, scientists from McGill ...
The word amphibian is derived from the Ancient Greek term ἀμφίβιος (amphíbios), which means 'both kinds of life', ἀμφί meaning 'of both kinds' and βίος meaning 'life'. The term was initially used as a general adjective for animals that could live on land or in water, including seals and otters. [8]
The idea appears in the Jewish Tannaic sources as well, as brought down in Babylonian Talmud, Chulin 127a. Rashi (Psalms 49:2) traces this to a biblical source – the land is referred to as "Choled", from the weasel (chulda), because the weasel is the only animal on dry land that does not have its counterpart in the sea.
These fish use a range of methods for land movement, such as lateral undulation, tripod-like walking (using paired fins and tail), and jumping. Many of these methods of locomotion incorporate multiple combinations of pectoral-, pelvic-, and tail-fin movement. Many ancient fish had lung-like organs, and a few, such as the lungfish and bichir ...
The eyes of Ambulocetus were placed on the top of the head, similar to crocodiles and other animals that prefer to keep most of their body submerged with the eyes peeking out of the water. The nasal canal has bony walls extending into the throat, much like in crocodiles where they keep the nasal airways open while the animal is killing prey ...
Loons are excellent swimmers, using their feet to propel themselves above and under water. However, since their feet are located far back on the body, loons have difficulty walking on land, though they can effectively run short distances to reach water when frightened. Thus, loons avoid coming to land, except for mating and nesting. [4]
Ichthyostega was a fairly large animal for its time, as it was broadly built and about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long. The skull was low, with dorsally placed eyes and large labyrinthodont teeth. The posterior margin of the skull formed an operculum covering the gills.
The fossils are dated to the Givetian (387.2–382.7 million years ago) when the Western New York Region was 30 degrees south of the equator and completely covered in water. [40] The site was purchased from Vincent C. Bonerb by the Town of Hamburg with the cooperation of the Hamburg Natural History Society to protect the land from development. [38]