THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL SO FAR
![[Image: 774px-Timeline_evolution_of_life.png]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=barronstestprep.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F01%2F774px-Timeline_evolution_of_life.png)
Before going into the list of our transitional fossils, we must explore the start. The list will be fossils from the kingdom Animalia(metazoa)
Metazoa first appeared in the Cryogenian period 835-635 million years ago. The oldest of these animals is the phylum porifera or as they are called sponges. Within Metazoa there are two subkingdoms, Parazoa(Porifera and Placozoa) and Eumetazoa(Radiata and Bilatera).
Radiata include two phylums Cnidaria and Ctenphora. Cnidaria has our subphylum Medusozoa(Classes Cubozoa,Hydrozoa, Cyphozoa, Staurozoa, and Polypodiozoa),Class Anthozoa(Orders Ceriantharia, Hexacorailla,and Octocorallia), and the unranked Myxozoa
Bilatera include the little known animal phylums like Ornthonectida, Rhombozoa, and Chaetognatha. The three super phylums are Deuterstomia(Phylums Chordata,Hemichordata, Echinodermata, Xenoturbellida, and †Vetulicolia)Ecdysozoa(unranked Scalidophora, and unranked Panarthropoda). Protostomia includes, Platyzoa(phylums Platyhelminthes,Gastrotricha, Rotifera, and Cycliophora), Lophotrochozoa(Bryozoa, Entopracts, Brachiopoda, Mollusca, and Annelida), and the Superphylums Ecdysozoa and Lophotrochozoa. What separates Protostomia and Deuterostomia is their embryonic development.
WHAT IS A TRANSITIONAL FOSSIL
Not every fossil can be a transitional fossil. There are some qualifications to be a transitional fossil.
A) The fossil must be with in a certain time range, if it is not despite its looks, it is not considered a transitional fossil what so ever
B) It must either show a connection between two groups. For example, just because a fossil is in the right time area in the fossil record but is not a direct ancestor does not make it non-transitional, as it shows a connection between the two groups, and many times genetic evidence confirms this as well.
C) It does not necessarily have to be extinct. Some members of a genus may be transitional, but there are many species in one genus(and as you will see later on class). It also does not matter if that animal is some what still alive in some way.
Now for the list of transitional fossils
Lobopods-Arthropods
Genus: Spriggina
Temporal range:Ediacaran,555 MYA
Species
ianai Catiformis
Temporal Range:Cambrian stage 3, 520 MYA
Description:The first fossil on our list and the ancestor to the arthropods. It had a head shield like that of trilobites, but it was still had a worm body and mouth.
Description: Diania Catiformis was a very strange looking lobopod. It was simple in its worm like body, yet had jointed legs, a trait that will be seen in the later arthropods.
Genus: Anomalocaris
![[Image: Anomalocaris.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=invader-xan.pbworks.com%2Ff%2F1170157705%2FAnomalocaris.jpg)
Temporal Range:Early-Mid Cambrian 515 MYA
Description:Strangely enough this animal is actually a transitional form. Despite its look, this abnormal shrimp was not an arthropod like shrimps are, but instead an early ancestor. It has worm like characteristics, for example its mouth, but also has arthropod structures like its segmented appendages.
Genus: Opabinia
Temporal Range: Middle Cambrian,506-497 MYA
Description: Opabinia, like anomalocaris, is a animal most people think as a aquatic arthropod when it was really just an ancestor. It lacked jointed limbs, but had a segmented body
EVOLUTION OF HEXAPODS
Genus: Rhyniella
Temporal Range: Pragian epoch of the Early Devonian 410 MYA
Description: Rhyniella is a primitive spring tail. It was once mistaken for a primitive larvae.
Genus: Rhyniognatha
Temporal Range: Early Devonian, 400 MYA
Description: Rhyniognatha is the oldest known insect. What gives its insect hood away is its mandibles. It is debated whether it had wings or not
Genus:Archimylacris
Temporal Range:Late Caboniferous, 300 MYA
Description: This animal is the ancestor to the cockroaches, mantises, and termites. Like them It had a shield head, folded wings, and also had feelers.
Genus: Archaeolepis
Temporal Range:Lower Jurassic, 190 MYA
Description: Archaeolepis is an ancestor to moths and butterflies. It was similar in shape, but had wing scales similar to that of Trichoptera, and it had mandibles.
Genus: Melittosphecidae
Temporal Range:Upper Cretaceous, 92 MYA
Description:This was a primitive wasp-like bee. Like its wasp ancestors, it had similar legs, but has a heart shaped head, and hairs that branched on its body.
Genus: Sphecomyrma
Temporal Range:The Turonian and Companian epoch, Cretaceous period 80 MYA
Description:This was a primitive ant with traits like that of wasp. It had a short mandlble, had double tibial spurs found on its mid and hind legs. It was confirmed as an ant due its wingless body, it possessed a metapleural gland , and possessed a petiole.
Genus: Ephyllium
Temporal Range:Eocene, 47 MYA
Description: An insect that came late to the scene, but it is still a transitional fossil either way. It was flat in its body, like the leaf insect descendants, but still did not have flattened legs.
EVOLUTION OF SPIDERS
Genus: Sanctacoris
Temporal Range: Mid Cambrian, 509-497 MYA
Description: This was the ancestor of arachnids,pycnogonids, and merostomata.
Genus: Attercopus
Temporal Range :Givetian epoch during the Devonian, 390 MYA
Description: This was animal on the road to becoming a spider. It still bore a segmented body and a tail like that of whip-scorpions, however it was able to produce silk.
Genus: Eoplectreurys
Temporal Range: Jurassic period, 164 MYA
Description: This is the oldest of the Haplogynae spiders. What gave it away that it was primitive was not only the age of the fossil, but also the fact females lacked a sclerotized genitalia.
LOPHOTROCHOZOA EVOLUTION
Genus: Halkieria
Temporal Range: Early-Mid Cambrian, 541 MYA
Description: This animal had a body simlar to that of wiwaxia and brachipods and mollusk. It had teeth close to that of wiwaxia, and also had a soft under side. It also had a brachiopod like shells.
Genus: Wiwaxia
Temporal Range: Early-Mid Cambrian
Description: This animal would was a mollusk that is said to be some what related to the annlids, in fact some believe this genus will end up leading to the annlids. It has similar mouth parts and morphology of mollusk, but it shares scale patterns seen on annlids.
Genus: Orthrozanclus
Temporal Range: Mid Cambrian, 505 MYA
Description: Orthroxanclus was possibly a primitve mollusk. It Did have a shell similar to Halkieriids and sclerites similar to that of wiwaxia, another possible primitive mollusk
Genus: Odontogriphus
Temporal Range: Burgess Shale Cambrian
Description: The animal that connects the mollusk, annlids, and the brachiopods. It had traits of mostly wiwaxia and mollusk. It had a tooth structure of wiwaxia and a third tooth row and the ability to shed its teeth like mollusks.
MOLLUSK EVOLUTION
Genus: Kimberella
Temporal Range: Edicaran 558-555 MYA
Description: This was the oldest confirmed mollusk. It had a non-mineralized shell and a circulatory system, it also had no radula. However it lacked visible segmentation and had modules that formed a primitive foot
Genus: Kulindroplax
Temporal Range: Wenlock epoch, Silurian period, 425 MYA
Description: This is most defiantly a mollusk. It had a chiton like shell, something mollusk don't have, though it did have a gill array with a respiratory cavity, something mollusk do have. It also had seven dorsal valves instead of eight, I also had to mention that.
CEPHALOPOD EVOLUTION
Genus: Pohlsepia
Temporal Range: Pennsylvanian Epoch, Carboniferous, 296 MYA
Description: This was the oldest know octopus. It had ten arms, no arm hooks or suckers, it had fins on its mantle and lacks an internal shell. What makes it an octopus is the fact that it had and ink sack.
Genus: Proteroctopus
Temporal Range: Lower Callovian epoch during the Mid-Jurassic, 164 MYA
Description: This octopus was most defiantly an octopus. It can be told that it is an octopus due to its suckers, and its funnel. It was still primitive however due to the fins on its mantle.
Genus: Vampyronassa
Temporal Range: Mid-Jurassic, 165-164 MYA
Description: Vampyranassa as far as its habitats and ecology goes is hardly known. However it is known as transitional fossils due to its mixture of traits. It has primitive traits like a large hyponome, an elongated mantle, and longer dorsal arms. It had some derived traits as well such as flaps, some thing vampire squids are known for.
Genus: Paleoctopus
Temporal Range: Late Cretaceous, 89-71 MYA
Description: It is a primitive octopus. It is not known whether it is a basal octopus or a member of cirrina. It has been proposed that it is part of a coelocanth.
Genus: Jeletzkya
Temporal Range: Early Pennsylvanian epoch, Cambrian
Description: This is the earliest know squid.
EVOLUTION OF AMMONOIDS FROM NAUTILOIDS
Order: Bactritida
Temporal Range: Emsian epoch,Devonian-Carnian epoch Triassic, 390-235 MYA
Descrpition. This order is said to be the direct descendents of ammonoids and coleoids. Fossils show a small sized globular shaped protoconch.
EVOLUTION OF EARLY VERTEBRATES
Genus: Pikaia
Temporal Range: Mid Cambrian
Descrpition: This fossil is a primitive chordate. It is said to be a transitional fossil in the evolution of early vertebrates. There is a dispute whether or not it is a ancestor of vertebrates or just a relative. It is said not to be the closest relative to vertabrates and that tunicates are.
Genus: Haikouichthys
Temporal Range: Cambrian 535-520 MYA
Description: Said to be the ancestor to all vertebrates, this was the most primitive fish. It lacked a vertebrae, but had a skull, the definitive trait of vertebrates.
Genus: Arandaspis
Temporal Range: Early Ordovician 480-479 MYA
Description: Arandaspis was a jawless fish and the second oldest vertebrate found. It had gills, nostrils, and eyes protected by a plate. Its body frame is said to have made it swim like a tadpole
Class: Anapsid
Temporal Range: Early Silurian-Late Devonian
Description: Anaspid(this is a horrible name for this group, trust me) was a class of jawless, primitive fish, which lacked jaws, but showed a decrease in gill number, a sign that the jaw was evolving.
Genus: Guiyu
Temporal Range: Late Silurian, 419 MYA
Description: Giuyu is the oldest bony fish, and a transitional fossil in the fact it caries traits of both actincpterygii(ray-finned fish) and sarcopterygii(lobe-finned fish) Traits
EVOLUTION OF ELASMOBRANCHII
Genus: Cladoselache
Temporal Range: Late Devonian
One of the oldest sharks in existence, Cladoselache is a nice transitional fossil. This shark lacked claspers, a trait that that separates sharks form other fish. What gave away the fact that it was a shark is its stream line body, like that of Lamniformes than any other shark.
Genus: Cyclabatis
Temporal Range: Upper cretaceous
Description: A species of ray that had a tail similar to that of a skate. It lived in a warm climate.
RAY-FINNED FISH EVOLUTION
Genus: Andredepis
Temporal Range: Late Silurian, 420 MYA
Description: Andredepis is the oldest known Actinopterygii member, meaning it is the ancestor of all ray-finned fish
Genus: Amphistum
Temporal Range: Middle Eocene
Description: This was one of the primitive flounders. Its eye was located on the side of its head, near the top, during its adult hood. It is a flounder so that means, of course, that it had a flat body.
Genus: Heteronectes
Temporal Range: Middle Eocene
Description: This animal is similar to Amphistium
Genus: Eobothus
Temporal Range: Mid-Late Eocene
Description: The oldest flat fish with both eyes on top(like a normal flounder). It shows the emergence of flounders
Genus: Pholidophorus
Temporal Range: Middle Triassic-Late Jurrasic
Description: A very old telostei fish, this animal was similar to modern herring. IT was primitive in that it had ganoid scales and a cartilage spine. It also had bone so don't worry.
Genus: Anguillavus
Temporal Range: Upper Cenomanian epoch, Cretaceous
Description: The oldest known eel so far. It had pelvic fins, something eels don't really have, but and elongated body with an elongated anal fin.
Genus: Hippocampus
Temporal Range: Lower Miocene, 13 MYA
Description: Hippocampus(if you thought anapsid was a bad name for fish, than this is a nightmare name), is the oldest known genus of sea horses known so far. It has two important species H.slovenicus and H.sarmaticus as they are the transitional ones.
Genus: Nardovelifer
Temporal Range: Campanian epoch, Cretaceous 83-70 MYA
Description: The oldest known Lamprid
Genus: Eomola
Temporal Range: Middle Eocene, 56-34 MYA
Description: The oldest known sunfish, said to have evolved from some sort of reef fish. It can be distinguished from other members of its order at the time due to its separate premaxillae
Genus: Corydoras
Temporal Range: Late Paleocene, 58 MYA
Description: Corydoras was a fish that shared traits with the family callichthyidae. It has a short round head and low set eyes. Its anatomy shows it is similar to Corydoradinae and is classified in the genus Corydoras.
Genus: Ruffoichthys
Temporal Range: Middle Eocene, 56-34 MYA
Description: Ruffoichthys is a primitive rabbit fish
Genus: Palaeoperca
Temporal Range: Early-Mid Eocene,48-37 MYA
Description:This was a primitive species of perch
Genus: Trachicaranx
Temporal Range: Middle Eocene, 58-55 MYA
Description: Trachicaranx is a genus of carangidae that lived during the thanetian epoch of the middle Eocene
Genus: Histontophorus
Temporal Range: Early to Mid Eocene, 48-40 MYA
Description: Histonotophorus is not much known about. This primitive hand fish is sometimes places in the genus Brachionichthys
Genus: Eolactoria
Temporal Range: Lutetetian epoch, Eocene 48-40 MYA
Description: Eolactonia is a primitive member of the family ostraciidae. It has two long horns over each eye, and another pair next to its anal and caudal fins.
Genus: Proaracana
Temporal Range: Early-Mid Eocene, 48-40 MYA
Description: Like eolactoria only it dropped spikes for a diamond head. Proaracana was a primitive member of the family aracanidae.
Genus: Gazolaichthys
Temporal Range: Middle Eocene 48-40 MYA
Description: Was a primitive surgeon fish
Genus: Psettopsis
Temporal Range: Mid Eocene, 48-40 MYA
Description: Along with Pasdicthys, it was a primitive moonyfish
Genus: Eozanclus
Temporal Range: Lutetian epoch, Mid Eocene, 48-40 MYA
Description: A primitive ancestor of Zanclus Cornutus. It was Different because of its much shorter snout.
Genus: Cretatriacanthus
Temporal Range: Late Cretaceous, 83-65 MYA
Description: Was a primitive member of perciforme
Genus: Protozeus
Temporal Range: Thanetian epoch, Paleocene, 58-55 MYA
Description: Protozeus, along with Archaeozeus, are both primitive members of Zeidae
Genus: Cooyoo
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous, 145 MYA
Description: Cooyoo is a primitive member of Ichthyodectidae
Genus: Protriacanthus
Temporal Range: Late Cretaceous, 65 MYA
Description: Protriacanthus was a primitive tetraodontidae
SARCOPTERYGII-TETRAPOD EVOLUTION
Genus: Osteolepis
Temporal Range: Mid Devonian, 416-359 MYA
Description: Osteolepis was the ancestor of tetrapods and lungfish. It had stiffened bony components that was somewhat homologus from the humerous area to the radius. It is found at the base of the tetrapod evolutionary tree.
Genus: Panderichthys
Temporal Range: Late Devonian, 380 MYA
Description: Panderichthys is a fish more advanced than Eusthenopteron and was on the path to becoming the tetrapods. Its fins looked like a mix between fish fins and tetrapod hands. It is also suspect for causing the foot prints It is also supsect for causing the foot prints found in the Devonian. It had gills but had a tetrapod-like head.
Genus: Eusthenopteron
Temporal Range: Late Devonian, 385 MYA
Description: Eusthenopteron was not on the road to becoming the tetrapods, it does however share many common traits with them, showing a connection of tetrapods to fish. An example of this was its diphycercal fin, which showed a striaght spin of that in panderichthys, a fish on the path to becoming the tetrapods.
Genus:
Tiktaalik
![[Image: Tiktaalik_BW.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=upload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F7%2F7d%2FTiktaalik_BW.jpg)
Temporal Range: Late Devonian, 375 MYA
Description: Tiktaalik was a fishapod coming from the Late Devonian. Tiktaalik had traits shown in fish and tetrapods. It had scales, fins, and gills like that of fish, but it had A flexable neck, ribs on its side, ear notches, and an almost complete homologous structure. This is of course, the coolest transitional fossil.
Genus: Elginerpeton
Temporal Range: Late Devonian, 375 MYA
Description: Elginerpeton is said to be a more advanced animal than tiktaalik. It is known for its shoulder,hip,femur, and tibia. These are the only parts found along with the lower jaw. These features are mosaic of other tetrapod transitions like Hynerpeton
Genus: Ventastega
Temporal Range: Late Devonian, 374.5 MYA
Description: Ventastega is said to be the first vertabrate with feet. It was found in fragments but major fragments that where found was its skull, a clavicle, a shoulder, pelvis, fibs, and a tail fin.
Genus: Acanthostega
Temporal Range: Femennian epoch, Late Devonian, 365 MYA
Description: Acanthostega was the first vertabrate to have digits, meaning its homologus structure is complete. It was also able to walk fully on land. Its is indicated it also had a lung, but its short ribs could not give it much support out of water. It also had gills and a operculum. Its structure also shows that the leg evolved for another purpose instead of walking on land.
Genus: Ichthyostega
Temporal Range: Famenian, Late Devonian, 360 MYA
Description: Ichthyostega was more davance than its cousin acanthostega. It is very amphibian like, but is not considered a amphibian. This animal would move across land like a seal. It still had fish gills and an operculum, despite that it is soft, and it also had functioning legs and lungs.
Genus: Hynerpeton
Temporal Range: Late Devonian 360 MYA
Description: It is not known whether it was an ancestor to tetrapods or just a cousin. It is said to be an amphibian like animal with complex lungs. It was also a powerful walker.
Genus: Tulerpeton
Temporal Range: Late Devonian, 365 MYA
Description: Out of all the tetrapod transitional fossils, Turlerpeton may be the best(after tiktaalik). It was capable of living on land, it had six digits instead of eight, it lacked gills, and it had a stronger limb structure. It still had scales on its belly However. It suggest the first tetrapods took land in the Late Devonian.
Genus: Pederpes
Temporal Range: Tournaisian epoch, Early Carboniferous,
Description: Once considered a fish, it is now said to be a tetrapod. It was the first tetrapod to life completely on land. It is indicated by its forward facing feet and the narrow shaped skull, which suggest it breathing like non-amphibian tetrapods.
AMPHIBIAN-AMNIOTE EVOLUTION
Genus: Proterogyrinus
Temporal Range: Serpukhovian epoch, Mid carboniferous, 328.3-318.1 MYA
Description: An early amniote-like amphibian. Like amphibians, its life was still centered around water, but it was able to move onto land than other amphibians, meaning it had less competition from its cousins in the same superorder
Genus: Limnoscelis
Temporal Range: Early Permian
Description. Limnoselis is part of diadectomorpa, the closest relatives to amniotes. It might have had a skull similar to that of amniotes, but it also had claws on its digits. It is also said that it had a larval stage.
Genus: Tseajaia
Temporal Range: Permian
Description: A small amniote like amphibian, it is uncertain if it is part of Seymouriamorpha or Diadectomorpha. It is very similar to amniotes except that fact it didn't have claws.
Genus: Westlothiana
Temporal Range: Viséan epoch, Carboniferous, 335 MYA
Description: A old yet advanced amniote-like amphibian. It has the wrist, vertebrae and skull of a amphibian, but the rest of it was pretty much amniote.
Genus: Solenodonsaurus
Temporal Range: Bashikirian-Moscovian epoch, Late Carboniferous, 320-305 MYA
Description: This animals structure causes a debate whether it was a reptile or a amphibian. Like amniotes it was best adapted to life on land, lacked labyrinthodont folding of the enamel, and had a small otic notch compared to other reptiliomorphs.
Genus: Casineria
Temporal Range: Viséan, Carboniferous, 340 MYA
Description: Caineria is debated whether it is a amphibian or amniote. It has the build of amphibian reptiliomorphs, yet has claws and unfused ankles like amniotes. It is also said to be the first animal to lay an amniotic egg.
Genus: Hylonomus
Temporal Range: Bashkirian epoch, Carboniferous, 315-312 MYA
Description: The very first Reptile, it would eventually lead to animals such as dinosaurs birds and turtles.
Genus: Paleothyris
Temporal Range: Mid Pennsylvanian epoch, Carboniferous, 312-304 MYA
Description: This animal is the oldest known ancestor of diapsids. It still carried its primitive amphibian traits, as it lacked a fenestrae
SYNAPSID-MAMMAL EVOLUTION
Genus: Protocepsydrops
Temporal Range: Mid Pennsylvanian epoch, Late Carboniferous, 312 MYA
Description: This animal shows a connection between the synapsids and the reptiles. It resembled lizards, ans still had a vertebrae with tiny neural process typical to amphibians.
Genus: Archaeothyris
Temporal Range: Late Carboniferous, 306 MYA
Description: Archaeothyris is an animal beginning to become more mammal like. It had enlarged canines and its jaws could open more than that of a reptile. It had a reptile like skull and a lizard like gait.
Genus: Haptodus
Temporal Range: Early Permian, 299-296.4 MYA
Description: Haptodus was a pelycosaur-grade synapsid, which is the same informal group holding synapsids like Dimetrodon. It had large canine-like teeth. Its dentary bone was the largest part of its lower jaw, and its skull was deeper than that of its primitive ancestors.
Genus: Dimetrodon
![[Image: dimetrodon.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=www.rareresource.com%2Fimages%2Fdino_relatives%2Fdimetrodon.jpg)
Temporal Range: Early Permian, 295-272 MYA
Description: Dimetrodon was an advanced sphenacondontidae, a group which would eventually lead to the threapsids. Dimetrodon was apparently cold-blooded, as indicated by its sail and had sprawled legs, but it also had teeth like that of a mammal, specifically the canines and had a deep and narrow skull.
Genus: Biarmosuchus
Temporal Range: Wordian epoch, Permian, 267 MYA
Description: Biarmosuchus was a very primitive therapsid. It still had a long tail like that of pelycosaurs and had sprawled legs, but in turn it had a single canine as the first tooth on the maxilla, had internal nostrils covered by a partial fleshy palate and had an enlarge temporal opening giving it a more powerful bite.
Genus: Thrinaxodon
Temporal Range: Early Triassic, 248-245 MYA
Description: Thrinaxodon is the stereotypical look of what a mammal-like synapsid looks like. It still had the ability to change teeth throughout its life and lacked fur. Despite this, it has a mammal-like dentition, it behaved like a mammal, and even developed respiratory turbinates and palate, showing it was warm-blooded.
Genus: Cynognathus
Temporal Range: Early-Mid triassic, 247-237 MYA
Description: Cynognathus is a mammal-like synapsid. Its ribs also indicated that cynognathus had a diaphragm.
Genus: Morganucodon
Temporal Range: Late Triassic-Early Jurrasic, 205 MYA
Description: It was a early mammal, yet was just out side the mammalina crown group(a crown group is a collection of species that consists of the living representatives of the ancestors back to its recent ancestors.)
Genus: Juramia
Temporal Range: Late Jurassic, 160 MYA
Description: Juramaia is the oldest known therian mammal, its importance is in showing when the divergence of therians and marsupials happened
Genus: Yanoconodon
Temporal Range: early Cretaceous, 122 MYA
Description: Say hello to the first crown group of mammals. Its middle ear was similar to both mammals and mammiliformes.
Genus: Sindelphys
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous, 125 MYA
Description: It is the oldest known metatherian mammal known.
PLATYPUS EVOLUTION
Genus: Kollikodon
Temporal Range: Abian epoch, Early cretaceous, 104-10 MYA
Description: Kollikodon was a partially aquatic mammal that used its mouth for crushing shellfish. It is unknown in most of its looks.
Genus: Steropodon
Temporal Range: early Cretaceous, 100 MYA
Description; An old member of the suborder platypoda. It shows some connection with therians based on its teeth.
PROBOSCIDIAN EVOLUTION
Genus: Eritherium
Temporal Range: Paleocene
Description: Eritherium is an old genus of proboscidian that still shares traits with the manatees.
Genus: Phosphaterium
Temporal Range: Late Paleocene, 56 MYA
Description: Phasphatherium is the oldest known proboscedian. It had a flat face and no trunk , what reveals it as a proboscidean is the structure of its teetn.
Genus: Moeritherium
![[Image: focus_moeritherium.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=www.dinosaurjungle.com%2Ffocus_moeritherium.jpg)
Temporal Range: Late Eocene, 37-35 MYA
Description: Moeritherium was an early proboscidian with a pig like body.. Moeritherium shows a evolution of the trunk through the fusion of the upper lips and nose.
CARNIVORIAN EVOLUTION
Genus: Miacis
Temporal Range: Late Paleocene-Late Eocene, 60-55 MYA
Description: Miacis is what a actual catdog would look like(any one remember that show?) It had a dog like pelvis and had retractable claws for example.
CANINE EVOLUTION
Genus: Hesperocyon
Temporal Range: Late Eocene-early Oligocene, 42.5 MYA
Description: Maybe earths oldest canid, this animal would lead to the many canines on earth. It still has a body more like that of a civet with a long tail, though it did have canine teeth.
Genus: Leptocyon
Temporal Range: Oligocene-Miocene 24.8-10.3 MYA
Description: the little fox wannabe is what will end up becoming the modern canines. It is shown to be a transitional fossil by being connected to Eucyon
Genus: Eucyon
Temporal Range: Miocene, 10.3-3.3 MYA
Description: This is what was around before your best friend evolved(unless you are a filthy cat heathen). What separates it from Leptocyon is its frontal sinuses. This canine pulled a homo erectus and spread around the world.
CAT EVOLUTION
Genus: Proailurus
Temporal Range: Late Oligocene-Early Miocene 25 MYA
Description: This cat still holds its primitive traits like a tail, eyes, claws, and teeth of viverrids. In short, it show a separation of cats and viverrids.
Genus: Pseudaelurus
Temporal Range: Miocene, 20-8 MYA
Description:Much more cat like than Proailurus, this genus will become your best friend(unless you are a disgusting dog infidel). It still had shor, viverrid-like legs however. It also was what brought the end of the
cat gap
Species: Felis silvestris
![[Image: 220px-Yawning_wildcat.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=upload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F7%2F7a%2FYawning_wildcat.jpg%2F220px-Yawning_wildcat.jpg)
Temporal Range: 90,000-9000 years ago
Description: It may not be a fossil, but this animal is whate lead to what is our domesticated cat The first member of this genus to become Felis silvestris catus was in Africa.
ARIDACTYLA EVOLUTION
Genus: Heteroprox
Temporal Range: Miocene, 15.97-11.61 MYA
Description: Heteroprox is the oldest known deer
Genus: Eotragus
Temporal Range: Early Miocene, 20-18 MYA
Description: Eotragus is the oldest known bovid
Genus: Protylopus
Temporal Range: Mid-Late Eocene, 45-40 MYA
Description: The oldest camel. Unlike modern camels it had hooves with no foot pads.
Genus: Kenyapotomus
Temporal Range: Mid-Late Miocene, 16-8 MYA
Description: The probable ancestor of hippos. It bore the teeth similar to that of xenohyus.
TAPIR EVOLUTION
Genus: Hyrachyus
Temporal Range: Eocene
Description: Hyrachyus was a animal with a mix of traits of both tapirs and rhinos. It looked like a tapir and acted like one, but it lacked a proboscis common to tapirs and had rhino-like teeth.
Genus: Heptodon
Temporal Range: Eocene, 55.4-48.6 MYA
Description: Heptodon was not considered a tapir, but was most likely the ancestor. It did not have a truck, but the skull suggest it has an elongated lip.
BAT EVOLUTION
Genus: Protictis
Temporal Range: Mid-Late Paleocene
Description: Meet the gliding rat thing. This animal did not have wings, but it shows the evolution of wings and flight in bats.
Genus: Onychonycteris
Temporal Range: Early Eocene
Description: The oldest true bat. Unlike bats it still had claws on all of its digits instead of only two or three. This bat may have not even been able to echolocate.
HUMAN EVOLUTION
Genus: Purgotorius
Temporal Range: Paleocene, 66-63 MYA
Description: Purgatorius was a member of the order plesiadapiformes, and it is said to be the mother of all primates(that means you as well). It had the ankles the same as that of primates and though was ape like it had teeth like plesidopimorfs.
Genus: Apidium
Temporal Range: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene, 36-32 MYA
Description: Apidium is a known as a monkey with the traits of not just OWM and NWM, but also other primates as well. It still has small canines like primitive monkeys and even post cranial structure like prosimians. Like modern monkeys it has a fused symphysis menti and a scapula like that of squirrel monkeys. It still has molar cusp like tarsiers and Strepsirrhine(lemurs). There are three species in this cluster fuck genus.
Genus: Aegyptopithecus
Temporal Range: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene, 35-33 MYA
Description: Aegyptopithecus was a normal monkey, or it would be if it didn't carry the traits of apes. While still a monkey with its cercopithecoidea auditory features, the fact it can't brachiatiaon(arm swing), and it still had a tail. It holds the ape trails including ape like teeth, with broad flat incisors, and canine size difference in males and females, a low sagittal keel, strong temporalis muscles, and increased size in visual cortex. Its common name should be ape monkey.
Genus: Proconsul
Temporal Range: Miocene, 25-23 MYA
Description: Aegyptopithecus was the ape monkey, proconsul is the monkey ape. Taking from its monkey ancestors it has a monkey-like wrist and a monkey like illium. Its ape traits are the fact it lacks a tail and has a 5-Y pattern on the lower molar cusps. It is the base member of hominoidea.
Genus: Pierolapithecus
Temporal Range: Miocene, 13 MYA
Description: though not a monkey ape, it still has monkey like traits. these include short fingers, a structure that shows a baboon like walk, and it still lacked the ability to swing on trees. It did have a flat wide, rib cage of tree dwelling apes, and has a clavicle similar to that of chimpanzees. Some debate about this fossil due to its location in Europe(they beat homo erectus to Europe)
Genus:
Sahelanthropus
Temporal Range: Late Miocene-early Pliocene 5.6-4.4 MYA
Description: Sahelanthropus is the reason I am typing up for this up for AF, as if it was not for this fossil, I would not be around here. Sahelanthropus may be the potential ancestor of australopithecus, and the genus pan. There is still a big debate whether it was the ancestor of australopithecus and pan, or the ancestors of pan and gorilla. either way it is still an important fossil
Genus: Ardipithecus
Temporal Range: Late Miocene-Early Pliocene,5.6-4.4 MYA
Description: Two main species of this gunus is A.kadabba and A.ramidus. This animal is the ancestor of australopithecus. Like pan, it had a smaller brain, still had its foot thumb, and had more heavly curved phalanges that australopithecus. However it had reduced canines, and had some ability to walk bipedaly despite walking quadrupedal in the trees.
Genus: Australopithecus
![[Image: th?id=HN.608042635052518775&pid=15.1]](https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608042635052518775&pid=15.1)
Temporal Range: 3.9-1.7 MYA
Description: Australopithecus is the genus that will lead to the genus homo(humans). In order the list of Australopithecus is A.anamensis→ A.afarensis→ A.bahrelghazali→ A.africanus. These Australopiths are the ones that will lead to homo. These apes had sagittal crest, fingers that showed some form of arboreal life in the older species, a semisectorial premolar and a prognathic face. It was bipedal, which is shown in its kneews, hips, spine, foramen magnum, and its toes. It has much larger brain and it had a developed jaw. The order shown above is shown in age and the likeness of humans. For example, A.africanus is much more human like that A.anamensis. I also must add there is more that lucy for A.aferensis, infac there are
eleven specimens.
Species: Homo habilis
Temporal Range: Pleistocene, 2.3-1.4 MYS
Description: the oldest known species of humans. Like previous apes it had a brow ridge, a foramen magnum located in a different area than younger human species, and teeth relativly large for humans. It does however have a 510-800cc brain size and a slightly prognathic face at a much steeper angle.
Species: Homo erectus
Temporal Range: Pleistocene, 1.9 MYA- 143,000 years ago
Description: This human was more like homo sapiens sapiens that homo habilis. It still had a heavy brow ridge, it still lacked language despite the increase in the broca area and it still had thicker bones than homo sapiens. H.erectus also had larger brian of 900-1,100cc, a more orthognathic face, and it had advanced tools like spears.
Species: Homo Rhodesiensis
Temporal Range: Pleistocene, 300,00-125,000 years ago
Description: this human is even more advanced that H.habilis and H.erectus. It still had large teeth, a brow ridge, though it had a very round cranium and a brain size similar to that of homo sapiens.
Species: Homo sapiens
Temporal Range: Pleistocene
Description: Why is this one here? Remember Felis sylvestris from earlier? there is something it has in common with Homo sapiens. both are species that lead to a modern subspceis. You and I are Homo sapiens sapiens, or what is called the anatomically modern humans. this base species lead to two subspecies, The other being H.s.idaltu
PHOLIDOTA EVOLUTION
Genus: Eomansis
Temporal Range: Early Eocene
Description: The earliest known pangolin with scales. Unlike modern pangolins, it lacked scales on its limbs
NON-HUMAN APE EVOLUTION
Genus: Sivapithecus
Temporal Range: Miocene, 12.5-8,5 MYA
Description: This genus would lead to the subfamily Ponginae. It had a orangutan face but mostly lived on the ground based on its wrist structure.
CETACEAN EVOLUTION
Genus: Pakicetus
Temporal Range: Ypresian epoch, Paleogene, 55.8 MYA
Description: Believe it or not, this whale is a member of the extinct Archaeoceti suborder. It still had its land dwelling structures like legs, and teeth that where specialized teeth (molars, incisors, and canines are still aroudn) and a flexiable neck. The cetacean traits that it had where a sigmoid process, a bone that is found in the cetacean middle ears, and are only found in the cetacean middle ear.
Genus: Ambulocetus
Temporal Range: Lutetian epoch, early Eocene, 50-48 MYA
Description: More advanced than pakicetus, ambulocetus is called the walking whale, and for a good reason. It could still walk on land but was much better in water. It also had a adaptation in its nose to allow it to swallow underwater, and periotic bones like cetaceans allowing it to hear well under water, and it is losing its specialized teeth.
Genus: Kutchicetus
Temporal Range: Early-Mid Eocene 46 MYA
Description: This cetacean was more advanced that ambilocetus. It had a shorter tail and its four scaral vertebrae where attached to its hip. Its mode of swimming is the same as cetaceans. It still lacked vertebrae proportions, as they are not like modern ceteceans, and its limbs are still weight-bearing.
Genus: Artiocetus
Temporal Range: Early Lutetian epoch, Eocene, 47 MYA
Description: This whale is transitional as it explains the traits of what early fully aquatic whales had. It had small limbs, said to b webbed. It also shows the connection of cetaceans with its ex-order Aritiodctyla(like a relationship it is complicated)
Genus: Dorudon
Temporal Range: Late Eocene 40.4-33.9 MYA
Description: Dorudon is the first fully aquatic cetacean. It still had full structures in its hind limbs and also retained its incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. The nostril has been shown to be in the middle of the head instead of the front.
Genus: Mammalodon
Temporal Range: Oligocene, 26 MYA
Description: This was a basal baleen whale. It lacked baleen, however it did have the traits of mysticeti with its short rostrum orbits directed anteiodorsally and reduced premaxille. It still had incisors and molars.
Genus: Aetiocetus
Temporal Range: Late Oligocene, 25-23.03 MYA
Description: Aetiocetus can be considered the ancestor to baleen whales, in the fact it was one. Though it still had teeth it also had baleen.
Genus: Kentriodon
HORSE EVOLUTION
Genus: Hyracotherium
Temporal Range: Early Eocene, 55-54 MYA
Description: Hyracotherium is basal to both horses and brontotheres.
Genus: Mesohippus
Temporal Range: Mid Eocene-early Oligocene, 40-30 MYA
Description: It had longer legs than eohippus. It had traits like early horses including having three toes. It was becoming more like a modern horse with its low-crowned teeth with a single gape behind the front teeth, a depression in the back of the skull, and six grinding teeth.
Genus: Pliohippus
Temporal Range: Mid Miocene
Description: Said to be the ancestor of astrohippus, it still has two toes on the side of its hoof.
SIRENIA EVOLUTION
Genus: Pezosiren
Temporal Range: Early Eocene, 50 MYA
Description: Pezosiren was a animal with a hippopotamus life style. In short this was a manatee that could walk on land.
Genus: Proratomus
Temporal Range: Mid Eocene, 40 MYA
Description: Proratomus is a later serian that was more aquatic than pezosiren
Genus: Eotheroides
Temporal Range: Mid-Late Eocene
Description: The first fully aquatic serien. Its teeth show it had a diet of mostly sea grass.
Genus: Halitherium
Temporal Range: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene
Description: This is the last step toward modern seriens. It lacked digits and hind limbs. It still had a femur however, which is fused with a reduced pelvis.
PINNIPED EVOLUTION
Genus: Puijila
Temporal Range: Late Oligocene-Early Miocene, 24-21 MYA
Description: A primitive seal with the body of an otter. It did not have flippers, though it has been shown to have webbed feet. It shows a relations between pinnipeds, ursoids, and musteloids
Genus: Potamotherium
Temporal Range: Aquitanian-Tortonian epoch, Miocene, 23.03-7.25 MYA
Description: This was the first seal. While it was very aquatic but still had legs similar to musteloids.
Genus: Enaliarctos
Temporal Range: Late Oligocene-Early Miocene, 24-22 MYA
Description: the first fully flippered pinneped. It still had teeth for tearing apart prey instead of catching fish.
ARCHOSAURS-DINOSAURS
Genus: Proterosuchus
Temporal Range: Early Triassic, 252-250 MYA
Description: The mother of all archeosaurs, this animal looked much lieka crocodile, and shared with them long strong jaws, a strong neck, with a long tail
Genus: Asilisaurus
Temporal Range: Mid Triassic 245 MYA
Description: This is said to be an old basal member of Avemetatrasalia. This animal still had some crocodilinan-like archosaur traits.
Genus: Marasuchus
Temporal Range: Mid Triassic, 230 MYA
Description: It was more dinosaur like archosaur, as it could walk on tow legs like a dinosaur. Some say that it is the very first one.
DINOSAUR EVOLUTION
Genus: Eoraptor
Temporal Range: Eoraptor is the dawning of Saurischia. Its Dentation suggest it was an omnivore
Genus: Pisanosaurus
Temporal Range: Late Triassic, 228-216.5 MYA
Description: The oldest bird hip around, this dinosaur is the mother of all bird-hips(ornithischia)
Genus: Thecodontosaurus
Temporal Range: Late Triassic-Early Jurassic, 203-199.6 MYA
Description: The oldest know sauropod, it still was small, but what seperated it was its all plant diet.
Genus: Scelidosaurus
Temporal Range: Early Jurassic, 196.5-183 MYA
Description: Scelidosaurus was a basal thyreophoridian, meaning it was armoared. It eventually lead down to stegosaurs and ankylosaurs.
Genus: Huayangosaurus
Temporal Range: Mid Jurassic, 165 MYA
Description: This is the most basal member of stegosauria, it was smaller than its decedents.
Genus: Guanlong
Temporal Range: Late Jurrasic, 160 MYA
Description: Guanlong is the tyrant lizard prince, as it will on day give rise to the tryant lizard king. It was pretty much like later tyranosaurs minus the crest and the fact it had a functioning claw hand.
Genus: Falcanus
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous, 126 MYA
Description: This animal was a mix between predatory theropods and therizinosaurian dinosaurs.
Genus: Probactiosaurus
Temporal Range: early Cretaceous, 96-88 MYA
Description: The earliest know hadrosaur. It shows much in common with the igonodonts, seeing as it was once classified as one
Genus: Pelecanimius
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous, 130 MYA
Description; this wannabe pelican is the basal member of ornithomimosauria. It carried teeth, a primitive trait not found in later bird wannabes.
Genus: Mahakala
Temporal Range: Late Cretaceous, 75 MYA
Description: A basal raptor, it was very small and is a god(or at least shares its name with one.) Some say it has a major connection in avian evolution.
CERATOPSIAN EVOLUTION
(also known as zeke is biased towards these dinosaurs as they are his favorite)
Genus: Yinlong
Temporal Range: Late Jurrasic
Description: The oldest known ceratopsid. It was bipedal, and it shows a neck slowly becoming a frill. Ironically it also lived at the same time and area as guanlong, starting a battle that will lead till the end of the dinosaurs.
Genus: Stenpelix
Temporal Range: early Cretaceous, 127 MYA
Description: It is considered a basal ceratopsian. This classification is due to its hips, as its fossil lacks a skull.
DINOSAUR-BIRD EVOLUTION
Genus: Pedopenna
Temporal Range: Mid-Late Jurassic, 168-152 MYA
Description: It is only known for its leg, however teh leg was very avian like in structure.
Genus: Anchiornis
Temporal Range: Late Jurassic, 161-160.5 MYA
Description: Our friend Huxley here is an important part of avian evolution. It could not fly do to its win structure, still had a long tail, and had troodon legs. It does however have wings and legs the same length, bore primary and secondary wings on its legs and arms, and had a flexible wrist and feathers.
Genus: Archaeopteryx
![[Image: th?id=HN.608032902658392090&pid=15.1&P=0]](https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608032902658392090&pid=15.1&P=0)
Temporal Range: Late Jurassic, 150.8-148.5 MYA
Description: This is the on transitional fossil everyone knows of, I mean it was recognized after Darwin published his book, which was similar to a book that some other guy wrote at the time as well, but Darwin beat him to it. Hail Darwin? Cause of it, creationist seem to think it is just a bird. Scientifically speaking, it is classified as one, it did have feathers, a fused furcula, and a back wards pointing pubis. However it was more fucking dinosaur than bird as it had a non-horned covered premaxilla and maxilla(meaning no beak), vertebra in the trunk region where free, was a non-aquatic bird with its neck attached to the back of its head, a long tail, free digits(meaning its fingers where unfused), pelvic girdle and femur like that of dinosaurs, flexable wrist, its foot bones are free, the fibula is equal in size as the tibia, and it had a deltoid ridge of the humerus facing anteriroly. How this thing can be called a normal bird by creationist despite all these beats me(and yes this was an explanation mixed with a rant)
Genus: Confuciusornis
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous, 125-120 MYA
Description: Now this is a dino bird(archaeopteryx is something else). It still had unfused digits, no alula and side bays facing glenoid, but it had a shorter tail bone, a primitive keel on a large sternum and had a tooth less beak.
Genus: Eoalularis
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous, 125 MYA
Description: This bastard is looking even more bird like. It still has two unfused digits but one is still fused. It also has an alula on the claw instead of a digit, a trait birds have but not dinosaurs.
AVIAN EVOLUTION
Genus: Waimanu
Temporal Range: Paleocene, 60-58 MYA
Description: This is the earliest known penguin. It was flightless, but still lacked the structures that make penguins who they are.
Genus: Elornis
Temporal Range: Late Eocene
Description: an early flamingo
Genus: Columboides
Temporal Range: Late Eocene-Early Miocene, 37-20 MYA
Description: A early gaviiform(loon) It was much smaller and not a great diver.
Genus: Masilloraptor
Temporal Range: Mid Eocene
Description: This animal was a basal falconiform. It had long legs, a beak as long as the cranium, it had small and weak claws and had the second toe shortened.
Genus: Primapus
Temporal Range: Early Eocene
Description: A early apodiform(order that includes, swifts, tree swifts, and hummingbirds).
TURTLE EVOLUTION
Genus: Odontochelys
Temporal Range: Late Triassic, 220 MYA
Description: This turtle was different from most turtles due to the fact that it lacked a carapace and horny beak, and it had teeth. It did have some form of half-shell which makes it out turtle evolutionary hero.
Genus: Proganechelys
Temporal Range: Late Triassic, 210 MYA
Description: The first turtle with a full hard shell and a toothless beak. It was primitive in its own way as it had a tail club and could not retract its head in its shell.
Genus: Eileanchelys
Temporal Range: Mid Jurrasic, 164 MYA
Description: The turtle pinnacle! it was the first aquatic turtle. In short it had an elongated post orbital skull, separate openings of the canalis cavernosum, and reduced thickness of the basicranium floor.
RHAMPHORHNCHOIDEA&PTERODACTYLOIDEA EVOLUTION
Genus: Darwinopterus
Temporal Range: Mid Jurassic, 161-160.5 MYA
Description: Darwinopterus was an animal with triats of both ramphs and pteros. It had a crest and a tooth beak and a long tail.
Genus: Pterothnchus
Temporal Range: Mid Jurrasic, 164 MYA
Description: This rhamph was a mixture of rampsh and pteros. It had a crest like pteros and teeth and a tail like ramphs.
LIZARD EVOLUTION
Genus: Gangiguana
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous: 146-100 MYA
Description: It is the oldest known iguana
Genus: Cretaceogecko
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous, 125.0-99.6 MYA
Description: A monotypic genus of gecko. it was able to climb walls
Genus: Dallasaurus
Temporal Range: Early Cretaceous, 92 MYA
Description: This was a primitive mosasaur. It lived in both land and water and still lacked the structures that made mososaurs such great swimmers. It is the lizard pakicetus.
Genus: Palaeosaniwa
![[Image: th?id=HN.607995179953684937&pid=15.1&P=0]](https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607995179953684937&pid=15.1&P=0)
Temporal Range: Late Cretaceous, 75-70 MYA
Description: The ancestor to varanoidea
Genus: Anqingosaurus
Temporal Range: Mid paleocene, 61-58 MYA
Description: A basal chameleon
SNAKE EVOLUTION
Genus: Eupodophis
Temporal Range: Late Cretaceous, 92 MYA
Description: A transitional snake that has the limbs(though useless) of lizards and the body of a snake. It was a marine animal
Genus: Najash
Temporal Range: Late Cretaceous, 90 MYA
Description: It is a snake with functional hind limbs. It lived underground.
FROG EVOLUTION
Genus: Gerobatrachus
Temporal Range: Early Permian, 290 MYA
Description: Gerobatrachus is a combination of salamander and frog. It was a basla member of Batrachia. It had a tail and a back bone that looks like a fusinon of anurans and caudata. It was frog like in the fact that it had a light and wide skull and it has a tympanic ear.
Genus: Traidobatrachus
Temporal Range: Early Triassic, 250 MYA
Description: This was a near frog animal, It had short limbs and was unable to hop, has fourteen vertebra instead of four or nine, and its tibia and fibia are unfused. It did have a light anuran skull however.
Genus: Vieraella
Temporal Range: Early Jurassic, 200 MYA
Description: the oldest species of frog. It still has 10 vertebrae though it can now hop.
Genus: Prosalirus
Temporal Range: Early Jurassic
Description: It was a primitive frog with its tail still around(though it was really small and useless). It was able to hop, a common trait of frogs, despite its short legs.
Caecilian Evolution
Genus: Eocaecilia
Temporal Range: Early Jurassic, 199.6-175.6 MYA
Description: The oldest known snake amphibian. It has limbs and lived a non-subterranean life style but had a serpentine body.
CONCLUSION
There is one point I must say, if you say there are no transitional fossils after seeing this you are really fucking retarded. I mean I made a whole list that took me months,granted it only was long because I was lazy, but that is no excuse. So creationist trolls who run by here read what I wrote, as magic won't send it.
And for those who read it to learn あり か゛と こ゛さ゛い ます, and I hope you learned something
OTHER WEBSITES
http://transitionalfossils.com/
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-transitional.html
http://www.reptileevolution.com/index.htm
![[Image: evolution-fossils-win.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_HfSXLXtVnOI%2FSZq8jD_qEBI%2FAAAAAAAACLU%2Fv72TFrwOwrA%2Fs400%2Fevolution-fossils-win.jpg)
![[Image: Bumper+Sticker+-+Asheville+-+Praise+Dog3.JPG]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-d-3rfdI7nG0%2FTerwtFyFXoI%2FAAAAAAAACak%2F7kFSmHeVrng%2Fs320%2FBumper%2BSticker%2B-%2BAsheville%2B-%2BPraise%2BDog3.JPG)
