Tetrapod fossil found:

Discovery

Gess

Pope Francis

The discovery of two Devonian tetrapods in South Africa suggests that the evolution of these creatures from water to land could have occurred anywhere else, and not only in the tropics as was previously thought, a study has established.

The evolution of tetrapods — four legged vertebrates- from fishes was a key event in human ancestry and for a long time scientists have assumed that they had originated in Laurasia — the smaller supercontinent which included modern day North America, Greenland and Europe.

The discovery of Tutusius umlambo and Umzantsia amazana in the coastal Eastern Cape province, near polar latitudes, suggests that four-limbed animals were more widespread in their early stages of evolution, contrary to widespread views that the ancestors of all vertebrates — the amphibious, aquatic tetrapods that first colonised the land — evolved in warm tropical environments.

“Now we have evidence of two types of Devonian tetrapod from the other end of Gondwana, on the other side of the South Pole, in the Antarctic Circle,” Dr Robert Gess, one of the leading researchers, told AFP.

“These are our ancestors. It’s now equally possible that they came from here than from the other side of the world”.

The complete study will be released Friday.

Although the fossils are incomplete, alive these creatures would have resembled a cross between a crocodile and a fish, sporting a crocodile like head, stubby legs and a tail with a fish-like fin. (AFP)