Amphibian August #02 – Ichthyostega
Living during the Late Devonian of Greenland (~365-360 mya), Ichthyostega is one of the most well-known of all early tetrapods, represented by a large number of fossil specimens and frequently depicted in the media as a “fish with feet” crawling out of the water.
At about 1.5m long (4′11″) it was still mostly aquatic, but with a stronger skeleton and powerful forelimbs to help better support itself on land. It wasn’t capable of quadrupedal walking, but instead would have dragged
itself around with “crutching” movements similar to modern mudskippers.
It also had seven toes on its hind limbs (the number on its forelimbs is still unknown for certain), unlike later tetrapods which settled on a default five-digit limb plan.
Guardian of the plants!
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