Which of the following could be considered the most recent common ancestor of living tetrapods?
A)a sturdy-finned, shallow-water lobe-fin whose appendages had skeletal supports similar to those of terrestrial vertebrates
B)an armored, jawed placoderm that had two sets of paired appendages
C)an early ray-finned fish that developed bony skeletal supports in its paired fins
D)a salamander that had legs supported by a bony skeleton but moved with the side-to-side bending typical of fishes
E)an early terrestrial caecilian whose legless condition had evolved secondarily

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sturdy-finned, shallow-water lobe-fin whose appendages had skeletal supports similar to those of terrestrial vertebrates (such as Tiktaalik) is considered the most recent common ancestor of living tetrapods. This is because it possessed features that are intermediate between fish and tetrapods, including fleshy fins with internal skeleton, flat skull with eyes on top, and a neck. These features allowed it to move on land and breathe air, and paved the way for the evolution of tetrapods.

Which of the Following Could Be Considered the Most Recent