Fossil linking fish and the first land animals found

The evolution from fish to land vertebrates occurred during the Late Devonian, about 360 to 380 million years ago, and required many changes in physiology. Over the last two decades, researchers have begun to piece together how this transition might have occurred, but a full understanding is hindered by the fragmentary nature of the fossil record.

- Ventastega was first described from fragmentary material in 1994; since then, excavations have produced lots of new superbly preserved fossils, allowing us to reconstruct the whole head, shoulder girdle and part of the pelvis, says Professor Per Ahlberg at the Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Uppsala University.