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The evolution of tetrapods began about 400 million years ago in the Devonian Period with the earliest tetrapods evolved from lobe-finned fishes. [1] Tetrapods (under the apomorphy-based definition used on this page) are categorized as animals in the biological superclass Tetrapoda, which includes all living and extinct amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Devonian (419–359 mya): The start of Devonian saw the first appearance of lobe-finned fish, precursors to the tetrapods (animals with four limbs). Major groups of fish evolved during this period, often referred to as the age of fish. [39] See Category:Devonian fish. D e v o n i a n: Early Devonian: Early Devonian (419–393 Ma): Psarolepis
The tetrapods evolved from the lobe-finned fishes about 395 million years ago in the Devonian. [23] The specific aquatic ancestors of the tetrapods, and the process by which land colonization occurred, remain unclear, and are areas of active research and debate among palaeontologists at present.
The tongue is anchored to the hyoid bone, which was once the lower half of a pair of gill bars (the second pair after the ones that evolved into jaws). [89] [90] [91] The tongue did not evolve until the gills began to disappear. Acanthostega still had gills, so this would have been a later development. In an aquatically feeding animals, the ...
Tiktaalik, a lobe-finned fish with some anatomical features similar to early tetrapods. It has been suggested to be a transitional species between fish and tetrapods. [81] 365 Ma Acanthostega is one of the earliest vertebrates capable of walking. [82] 363 Ma By the start of the Carboniferous Period, the Earth begins to resemble its present state.
New animals appeared in the warmer, drier regions near the equator as four-legged vertebrates called stem tetrapods evolved and split into groups that formed the basis for modern animals.
The fins evolved into the legs of the first tetrapod land vertebrates, amphibians. They also possess two dorsal fins with separate bases, as opposed to the single dorsal fin of ray-finned fish. The braincase of lobe-finned fish primitively has a hinge line, but this is lost in tetrapods and lungfish.
The earliest fossils of coelacanths were discovered in the 19th century. Coelacanths, which are related to lungfishes and tetrapods, were believed to have become extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period. [14] More closely related to tetrapods than to the ray-finned fish, coelacanths were considered transitional species between fish and ...