Ape to Man
Out of context: Reply #89
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- discipler0
sputnik, on what "appear" to be transitions:
"Of all of the other supposed transitional fishes, only Acanthostega is found as anything close to a complete fossil that can be truly analyzed. While it first off looks impressive as a transition--it has a body for swimming and four well-developed clear legs--upon later inspection it appears that this animal too is an amphibian. The main noted similarity to fishes is the notochord and possible internal gill slits (many living amphibians also have gills, though they are external). It is also said that:
Acanthostega was similar to its later descendants, the higher tetrapods, in having a pelvic or hip bone that is big enough to be attached to the vertebral column. In fishes, this attachment doesn't exist, or is very small, whereas in tetrapods, this attachment is very well developed, to help anchor the vertebral column to the main support elements, the legs."Again, you'll find a bevy of information about it here:
http://www.ideacenter.org/conten…In essence, you either have a true fish, or a complete air breathing amphibian. There are no TRUE transitions.