Organism · Lobe-fins and tetrapods
Tulerpeton curtum
Source time context (not species duration) · ≈ 420–359 Ma
Inferred life reconstruction
Tulerpeton curtum
Overview
Tulerpeton curtum is an early tetrapod known to have six digits on its forefoot. It shows a limb construction different from the five digits familiar today. Examining its Late Devonian body reveals the diversity of ancient limbs.[2][1]
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Key facts
The abstract of a 1995 paper explains that its forefoot had six digits. This is an unexpected difference if five digits are taken for granted. Early tetrapod limbs show several constructions.[2]
Time and place
It is known from research on Late Devonian material. The Devonian as a whole was roughly 420–360 million years ago. Later research examined body scales in addition to limbs.[2][1][3]
The time range describes source context, not the complete duration of this species.
Size, form and skeleton
The author’s composite diagram of the species shows a broad, flattened head, a long trunk and tail, and two pairs of short limbs. Six forefoot digits are explained in the abstract of a separate limb study. The whole outline can be compared with specific limb evidence.[1][2]
The total body length of Tulerpeton is reconstructed at about 90cm. This estimate compares preserved bones with the proportions of related organisms.[4]
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Habitat and reproduction
What information can scales covering the body provide? A 2014 study addressed Tulerpeton’s scales and their positions on the body. Evidence different from limb bones helps reveal the body of an ancient tetrapod.[1]
Fossil discovery
The 1995 limb study and 2014 scale study addressed different regions of the same organism. The overall diagram in the scale study indicates where those regions lie on the body. Evidence from small structures connects with questions about the whole animal.[2][1]
References
- Mondéjar-Fernández et al. (2014) — The scales of Tulerpeton
- 1995 study — The limbs of Tulerpeton
- International Commission on Stratigraphy (2024) — Geological time chart
- Sallan·Galimberti (2015) — Changes in vertebrate size before and after the end-Devonian extinction
- Sallan·Galimberti (2015) — Changes in vertebrate size before and after the end-Devonian extinction
- Blom2005 — Taxonomic reassessment of Ichthyostega
- Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum — A guide to Ichthyostega specimens
- Clack2009 — Changes from fish to tetrapods
- Strong et al.2025 — A three-dimensional body model of Ichthyostega
- Retallack (2011) — Forest-environment hypothesis for Devonian tetrapod evolution
Research questions
How do research counting digits and research examining scales meet? One reveals limb construction, the other structures covering the body. Bringing together clues from different regions creates a more three-dimensional understanding of early tetrapods.[2][1]
Observation
Move your gaze from the head and long trunk to the forelimbs. Imagine the forefoot known to have six digits, then consider the scales covering the body to begin seeing skeletal and surface evidence together.[2][1]
Related organisms
Ichthyostega stensioeiLobe-fins and tetrapodsSource time context (not species duration) · ≈ 420–359 MaDifferent hands and feet of early tetrapods
Explore the different records of body and time preserved in these two organisms. Tulerpeton curtum: Tulerpeton curtum is an early tetrapod known to have six digits on its forefoot. It shows a limb construction different from the five digits familiar today. It is known from research on Late Devonian material. The Devonian as a whole was roughly 420–360 million years ago. Ichthyostega stensioei: Ichthyostega stensioei is an early tetrapod with a robust front body and broad overlapping ribs. Its limbs can be examined alongside body features inherited from fishes. It is a Late Devonian animal from around 365 million years ago, known from strata at Aina Dal in present-day Greenland.