New 3-D Models of Some of The Earliest Four-legged Animals Reveals A Surprising Find:

[Dirty_Jerz]

We imagined their backbones backward

Our ancestors the tetrapods--the first animals to crawl out of the muck and onto land--have spines that are organized the opposite way from what everyone thought. The findings could change evolutionary biologists’ understanding of how the vertebrae evolved--and therefore how all vertebrate animals evolved.

Tetrapod anatomy: Backbone back-to-front in early animals


New 3D models of fossil remains show that previous renderings of the position of the beasts' backbones were actually back-to-front.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, may even change our thinking on how the spine evolved.

The scientists looked at a group of animals called the tetrapods, examining three creatures called Ichthyostega, Acanthostega and Pederpes.

"The textbook examples turn out to be wrong”

Prof John Hutchinson

Royal Veterinary College

BBC News - Tetrapod anatomy: Backbone back-to-front in early animals

 

[Julius Skrrvin]

Interesting. Possible mutation in HOX / body planning genes.