A tetrapod (/ ˈ t ɛ t r ə ˌ p ɒ d /; [5] from Ancient Greek τετρα-(tetra-) 'four' and πούς (poús) 'foot') is any four-limbed vertebrate animal of the clade Tetrapoda (/ t ɛ ˈ t r æ p ə d ə /). [6]

The word “tetrapod” means “four feet” and includes all species alive today that have four feet — but this group also includes many animals that don’t have four feet.

The universal tetrapod characteristics of front limbs that bend forward from the elbow and hind limbs that bend backward from the knee can plausibly be traced to early tetrapods living in shallow water.

Mar 8, 2025 · tetrapod, (superclass Tetrapoda), a superclass of animals that includes all limbed vertebrates (backboned animals) constituting the classes Amphibia , Reptilia , Aves , Mammalia , and their direct ancestors that emerged roughly 397 million years ago during the Devonian Period.

Jul 31, 2024 · What is a tetrapod with examples. How did they evolve. Also, learn about their origin with characteristics and images.

The tetrapod clade separated from fish in the Devonian. The amniotes were the earliest to lay cleidoic eggs. The Synapsids (> mammals) and the Sauropsids (> reptiles) are sister clades, and in particular, reptiles did not give rise to mammals.

Tetrapods include all land-living vertebrates, such as frogs, turtles, hawks, and lions. The group also includes a number of animals that have returned to life in the water, such as sea turtles, sea snakes, whales and dolphins, seals and sea lions, and extinct groups such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and mosasaurs.

Tetrapod-like vertebrates first appeared in the early Devonian period. These early "stem-tetrapods" would have been animals similar to Ichthyostega, with legs and lungs as well as gills, but still primarily aquatic and unsuited to life on land. The Devonian stem-tetrapods went through two major bottlenecks during the Late Devonian extinctions ...

Jul 29, 2019 · The largest living tetrapod is the blue whale, which can grow to lengths of up to 30 meters. Tetrapods occupy a wide variety of terrestrial habitats including forests, grasslands, deserts, scrublands, mountains, and polar regions.

Vertebrate - Tetrapods, Anatomy, Adaptations: Tetrapods live primarily on land and are similar in habit. Members include amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Features include the notochord, dorsal nerve tube, and pharyngeal slits. Support and protection are provided by the exoskeleton, when present, and the endoskeleton. Vertebrate tissue development is unique in …