Paleoart of Ichthyostega, an early tetrapodomorph and one of the first vertebrates on land, and Eastmanosteus, a sharklike placoderm. With eight toes on its hind feet and gills, Ichthyostega still shared many traits with earlier lobe-finned fish. Unlike today's crawling tetrapods, Ichthyostega's limb arrangement was best suited to flopping around like a seal. Although it was so basal on the tetrapod family tree, Ichthyostega was already far removed from the ocean. This young individual has learned this the hard way after a storm washed it out to sea.
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