Ichthyostega
Ichthyostega
lived during the Devonian Period, about 370 million years ago in what
is now Greenland. It measured 5 feet (1.5 meters) long. This amphibian
is one of the first of its kind. Scientists describe it as a "four-legged
fish" because it has a fish-like head, body and tail.
It was a labyrinthodont, an intermediate form between fishes and amphibians. Ichthyostega had webbed toes which may have made this creature adapted to life on land. Its short legs may only have limited movement. To move on to land it may have used its forelegs to thrust forward while dragging its hindquarters.
