Discovery of Ichthyostega
Descubrimiento de Ichthyostega
- Date
- 1931-1932 · confidence high
- Place
- East Greenland, Greenland, Denmark
- Credited to
- Gunnar Säve-Söderbergh (Danish East Greenland Expedition)
- Field
- Life & health
What was discovered
Ichthyostega fossils, collected in 1931 and described by Säve-Söderbergh, showed one of the earliest four-limbed vertebrates able to move on land, combining fish and tetrapod features. The find became a key piece for understanding the evolutionary transition from water to land during the Late Devonian.
What it led to
- Model of the fish-to-tetrapod transition
- Search for other Devonian tetrapods (Acanthostega, Tiktaalik)