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Acanthostega gunnari
Jarvik 1952
Acanthostega was among the earliest fish known to have developed true fingers. Although its limbs were well defined and comparable in anatomy to modern salamanders and frogs, Acanthostega had eight digits on its hands and feet.
It appears highly unlikely that it could support itself with its limbs on land for extended periods of time.
Our Hypothesis
The limbs bones of Acanthostega were likely used for navigating complex aquatic habitats with large amounts of fallen debris such as logs and branches of early tree-like plants. Occasional riverside ambushes on terrestrial arthropods are another possibility to explain the presence of limbs made of highly derived fins. Acanthostega was most likely not hearing on land either as it has evidence of a lateral line system. Lastly, Acanthostega was not feeding on land often and used suction feeding underwater when feeding. Overall, our hypothesis was proven correct that Acanthostega was more aquatic than terrestial.
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