Re: early tetrapod

["T. Michael Keesey" <keesey@gmail.com>]

On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 1:22 PM, Erik Boehm <erikboehm07@yahoo.com> wrote:
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080625/ap_on_sc/sci_fish_evolution
>
> Comments?
> any more scientific sources?

_Ventastega_ is not a new taxon; sounds like they just found more of it.

> was this older or younger than acanthostega?

Around the same age, I think.

> what of the comment "I imagine this is an animal that could haul itself over 
> sand banks without any difficulty. Maybe it's poking around in semi-tidal 
> creeks picking up fish that got stranded."
> implying terrestrial motion? is it just sensationalism, or supported by the 
> fossil?

I don't know, but it sounds suspicious. It's supposed to be around the
same grade as _Tiktaalik_, which was aquatic. (That said, I should
probably let someone more knowledgeable about stem-tetrapods speak.)
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T. Michael Keesey
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