Icthyostega stensioei, which means "Fish Roof", is an early genus of tetrapodomorphs that lived at the end of the Late Devonian period some 365 million years ago. Despite its salamander-esque appearance, Icthyostega would've functioned more like a seal than any true amphibian (which wouldn't truly appear until the Triassic period). It was a rather large animal, measuring about five feet long with a solid skull (the only openings were for the eyes, nostrils, mouth, and spinal cord), a tail that had fin rays like a fish, gills, and four legs that had 5 toes on the forelimbs and seven on the hindlimbs. Because of its robust rib cage and awkward limb attachments, Icthyostega would've hauled itself out of the water much like a modern seal or mudskipper.
But what about transient species? I jest. This is a perfect example of how, even if it became an evolutionary dead end, life will try again until life breaks free.
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