Spine of early crawling fish was becoming more like a land animal’s

Scans present that the backbone and ribs of Tiktaalik, one of many first fish to crawl on land, had options which are extra like these of early land animals than fish

By Michael Le Page

A CT scan of a fossil of Tiktaalik, one of many first fish to crawl on land, has revealed extra options of its physique which are intermediate between fish and land-dwelling animals. In explicit, they present that its fins had been turning into linked to its backbone, a characteristic of limbs in land vertebrates however not of fins in fish.

“That’s an unexpected result given the way we’ve reconstructed this animal in the past,” says Thomas Stuart at Pennsylvania State University.

Neil …