Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Story of Tetrapod Evolution: Fins, Feet, Lungs, and the First Steps onto Land

The Story of Tetrapod Evolution: Fins, Feet, Lungs, and the First Steps onto Land

Bouchier, James

Paperback

Series: The Story of Life: Evolution

EvolutionGeologyPaleontology

ISBN13: 9798189960918
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jul 30 2026
Pages: 140
Weight: 0.43
Height: 0.30 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
How did fins become feet-and how did vertebrates first begin to move onto land?

The Story of Tetrapod Evolution traces one of the most important transformations in the history of life: the rise of four-limbed vertebrates from ancient lobe-finned fish more than 370 million years ago.

Beginning in the rivers, wetlands, and shallow waters of the Devonian Period, this book explores the anatomical changes that made the transition possible. Discover how strong internal fin bones became the foundations of limbs, why digits appeared before effective walking, and what fossils such as Eusthenopteron, Panderichthys, Tiktaalik, Acanthostega, and Ichthyostega reveal about the uncertain boundary between fish and tetrapods.

The journey continues through Carboniferous wetlands, the evolution of the amniotic egg, the rise of amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds, and the great expansion of tetrapods across land, water, and air. It also explains how the same inherited body plan was repeatedly reshaped into running legs, digging hands, flippers, wings, and even limbless bodies.

Clear, scientifically grounded, and richly illustrated, The Story of Tetrapod Evolution shows that the movement onto land was not a single dramatic step. It was a long, branching process shaped by changing environments, extinction, survival, and the continual modification of structures that already existed.

Part of The Story of Life: Evolution Series, this book is ideal for readers interested in evolution, paleontology, prehistoric life, vertebrate anatomy, and the deep history behind the animals living today.

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