TPO-44From Fish to Terrestrial VertebratesOne of the most significant evolutionary events that occurred on Earth was the transition ofwater-dwelling fish to terrestrial tetrapods (four-limbed organisms with backbones)
Fish probablyoriginated in the oceans, and our first records of them are in marine rocks
However, by theDevonian Period (408 million to 362 million years ago), they had radiated into almost all availableaquatic habitats, including freshwater settings
One of the groups whose fossils are especiallycommon in rocks deposited in fresh water is the lobe-finned fish
The freshwater Devonian lobe-finned fish rhipidistian crossopterygian is of particular interestto biologists studying tetrapod evolution
These fish lived in river channels and lakes on largedeltas
The delta rocks in