Towards a whole animal, whole lineage perspective on the evolution of tetrapod locomotion

Abstract

One of the great mysteries regarding the evolution of animals is how and when tetrapods achieved the ability to stand and move on solid ground. Old perceptions that our fish ancestors gradually evolved limbs with digits on terra firma have been discarded in light of new evidence favouring a wholly aquatic origin. But which pioneering tetrapod species could move on land and how well‾ This question must be resolved in order to piece together how “modern” walking evolved. Our recent work has shown that the morphology of known stem tetrapods could not have supported walking in a typical salamander‐like fashion and that a mudskipper‐like crutching gait was more likely to be employed. Such a hypothesis means we still know very little about the evolution of modern walking behaviours. To further our investigation, we are forging work that links three‐dimensional whole animal morphology, empirically tested biomechanical performance indices, and whole lineage character changes. Our goal is to create validated, dynamic simulations of locomotion in extinct tetrapods bridging the water‐land transition.