The Devonian is a geological period after the Silurian and before the Carboniferous. Its fossil record is especially important for studying early jawed vertebrates, the origin of tetrapod limbs and the diversification of land plants.
The pectoral fin of Tiktaalik combines fish-like features with structures informative about the origin of a weight-supporting vertebrate limb. Such a character combination supports reconstruction of a transition without requiring that the sampled individual was itself a direct ancestor.[ref]
The pectoral fin of Tiktaalik roseae and the origin of the tetrapod limb by Neil H. Shubin and others. 2006, fin skeleton and limb transition
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