Ray-Finned Fish: Are They Tetrapods? Unraveling Their Evolutionary Transition
Ray-finned fish are not tetrapods. Tetrapods evolved from lobe-finned fish during the Devonian period. They have four limbs, while ray-finned fish belong to Actinopterygii and do not have the fleshy fins that turned into limbs. Thus, they followed a different evolutionary path within vertebrates. The key features that distinguish tetrapods include the development of limbs … Read more