Ventastega

Taxobox
name = "Ventastega"
fossil_range = Fossil range|365 Famennian (Late Devonian)

---

image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
subphylum = Vertebrata
classis = Sarcopterygii
subclassis = Tetrapodomorpha
genus = "Ventastega"
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
* "Ventastega curonica"

"Ventastega" was a "Tiktaalik"-like tetrapodomorph that lived during the Late Devonian (Famennian). "Ventastega" probably lived in swamps or freshwater lakes. Like "Tiktaalik", "Ventastega" was probably more aquatic than terrestrial.

Per Ahlberg, a professor of evolutionary biology at Uppsala University in Sweden reported in "Nature" that limbs, not fins were attached to "Ventastega" based on the anatomy of key parts of its pelvis and its shoulders. The fossils reported were found in Latvia. They are 365 million years old. A skull, shoulders, and part of the pelvis of the "Ventastega curonica" were found. They indicate it was more tetrapod than fish and looked similar to a small alligator. The discovery contributes to the understanding of the evolutionary transition from fish to tetrapods, the animals with four limbs, whose descendents include amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs and birds, and mammals). [ [http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/33623/title/Fossil_helps_document_shift_from_sea_to_land Fossil helps document shift from sea to land (Science News)] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7473470.stm Fossil fills out water-land leap (BBC)] ]

References

*cite journal|first= Per. E. |last=Ahlberg|coauthors=Jennifer A. Clack, Ervins Luksevics, Henning Nloom and Ivars Zupins|title="Ventastega curonica" and the origin of tetrapod morphology|journal=Nature |volume= 453|issue=7199|date=26 June 2008|pages=1199-1204|doi=10.1038/nature06991

Notes