This course explores the evolution of four-legged land animals from fish, covering topics such as the definition of vertebrates, the discovery of early tetrapod fossils, and alternative theories on the evolution of tetrapods. The course aims to help learners understand the transition of fish to tetrapods and challenges traditional ideas on this evolutionary process. The teaching method involves a lecture by Dr. Donald Henderson, Curator of Dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. This course is intended for individuals interested in paleontology, evolutionary biology, or the history of vertebrate life on Earth.
A Big Step for a Fish – The Evolution of Four-Legged Land Animals
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology via YouTube
Overview
Syllabus
A big step for a fish - the evolution of four-legged land animals
1 What are vertebrates?
1 How do vertebrate numbers compare to other organisms?
Tetrapods were not the first on land
Where have early tetrapod and near-tetrapods fossils been found?
Old idea: tetrapods evolved when fish crawled out of drying ponds to find new ponds
Latimeria chalumnae - a living coelacanth
Tiktaalik roseae (2008)
Ichthyostega (East Greenland, 365 million years) hind limb
Middle Devonian tracks, Poland
An alternative view to current dogma: Ichthyostega and Acanthostega are secondarily aquatic tetrapods
When is a fish not a fish?
Taught by
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
