List of transitional fossils

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness. Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.

This is a very tentative list of vertebrate transitional fossils (fossil remains of a creature that exhibits primitive traits in comparison with more derived life-forms to which it is related). An ideal list would only recursively include 'true' transitionals, i.e. those forms morphologically similar to the ancestors of the monophyletic group containing the derived relative, and not intermediate forms. See the article on transitional fossils for an explanation of the difference with intermediate forms. Since all species are supposed to be in transition due to natural selection, the very term "transitional fossil" is essentially a misconception. But the fossils listed represent significant steps in the evolution of major features in various vertebrate lines, and therefore fit the common usage of the phrase.

• Fish to Amphibians
  • Tiktaalik roseae
  • Osteolepis
  • Eusthenopteron
  • Panderichthys
  • Elginerpeton
  • Obruchevichthys
  • Hynerpeton
  • Tulerpeton
  • Acanthostega
  • Ichthyostega
  • Pederpes finneyae
  • Eryops

• Amphibians to Amniotes (early reptiles)
  • Proterogyrinus
  • Limnoscelis
  • Tseajaia
  • Solenodonsaurus
  • Hylonomus
  • Paleothyris

• Synapsid (mammal-like "reptiles") to mammals
  • Protoclepsydrops
  • Clepsydrops
  • Dimetrodon
  • Procynosuchus
  • Thrinaxodon
  • Yanoconodon

• Diapsid reptiles to birds
  • Yixianosaurus
  • Pedopenna
  • Archeopteryx
  • Changchengornis
  • Confuciusornis
  • Ichthyornis

• Evolution of whales
  • Pakicetus
  • Ambulocetus
  • Artiocetus
  • Dorudon
  • Basilosaurus
  • Eurhinodelphis
  • Mammalodon

• Evolution of the horse
  • Hyracotherium
  • Mesohippus
  • Parahippus
  • Merychippus
  • Pliohippus
  • Equus

• Non-human apes to modern humans
  • Pierolapithecus catalaunicus
  • Ardipithecus
  • Australopithecus
  • Homo rudolfensis
  • Homo habilis
  • Homo erectus

[edit] See also

• List of fossil sites (with link directory)
• Transitional fossil

[edit] External links

• Section V: Paleontology – Transitional fossils between every animal group
• Palaeos vertebrates starting with lobe-finned fish (very comprehensive)
• talk.origins FAQ: Transitional vertebrate fossils