"mid-Devonian"
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Axelrod Institute of Ichthyology at the University of Guelph Homepage
This is another broad type that includes the coelacanth which still exists today, but it is somewhat different from its fossil counterparts.
The fact that an animal like the coelacanth can be alive but be absent from the fossil record for what is alleged to be 65 million, shows that some factor other than whether or not an animal was living when the rocks they are found in were form determines fossilization.
We have here a common evolutionary trick. They call a set of bones by the same name and that is supposed to prove evolution. Here they have only a very superficial resemblance to each other. The shape, and position are dissimilar.
"mid-late Devonian"
Eusthenopteron's fins seem less foot like than those of Osteolepis. (See above) However the pectoral fin skeletons of all osteolepiform fish (including Osteolepis and Eusthenopteron) are nearly identical and follow general patterning that is more like tetrapods than like any ray-finned fish but such similarities are not by themselves sufficent to proove ancestory without substancal intermediate froms. It simply show that there some traits were once spread between classes of animals that are narrower today do to extinction.
"mid-late Devonian"
Panderichthys seems to be based on several complete and partial skeletons, but the types linking it to amphibian are fragmented.
Reference: Devonian Times - Panderichthys
"mid-late Devonian"
Click here for a diagram of an fossil skeleton.
Elpistostege seems to be base on less complete fossil evidence than Panderichthys. While they seem to have a complete skull the rest of the available skeleton is an incomplete spine that does not extend to the tail.
"mid-late Devonian"
All they found of this guy is part of his jaw, so the rest must be pure imagination.
"Late Devonian"
Click
here to see a fossil fin.
Fins
and Fingers in One Fishy Fossil
Sauripterus is of interest to evolutionists because its fins have eight finger like digits, the same as the number as on the feet of some amphibians. Now Sauripterus could not walk, the bones were too thin and it is not even considered an ancestor to amphibians. So it is jut a kind of fish with an unusual fin.
"late Devonian"
Click here to see picture of shoulder bone
The remains of Hynerpeton are fragmented they include the left
shoulder bones, a lower jaw, small skull fragments and belly
scutes. But they apparently are sufficiently similar to
Acanthostega to show that they are the same kind of animal.
"late Devonian"
Acanthostega is at least based on a complete skeleton and clearly a distinct kind from others in the list. It seems to have been a totally aquatic amphibian. Both reptiles and mammals have totally aquatic kinds, so it should not be unexpected to find totally aquatic amphibians as well.
Acanthostega did have some fish like traits in the form of a fish-like vertebral skeleton, fin rays surrounding the tail fin, lacks of aneck joint, grooved gill bars, simple joints between limb elements, and a large bony cleithrum. However given the fact that both are aquatic some similarities are to be expected and do not necessarily show a relationship. Give the incompleteness of some the fossil remains of some of the previous types there is no direct link to fish. With out this connection it would seem that they are a distinct kind from others in the list.
"late Devonian"
Ichthyostega was a largely aquatic amphibian that was capable of waking on land this is known to occur in mammals such as seals. Furthermore there are too many differences with Acanthostega to support evolution, particularly in the absence of any intermediate forms.
What we have here is a sudden appearance of legs. No transitional fossils between fins and legs, just a sudden jump from fins to legs. Sauripterus had fins but Hynerpeton, Acanthostega and Ichthyostega had legs. While this is one of the better cases made by Evolutionists, there is no solid evidence of a transition here, several of the links are fragmented and as is often the case they are located at a critical point.
Return to: Transitional Forms?
