When it comes to tradies, it is important to know that they are one of the most evolutionary groups of vertebrates on Earth. They are present in all kinds of habitats because, because their members have evolved in different ways, they have adapted to life in aquatic, terrestrial and even aerial environments. Its most significant feature lies in the origin of its members, but do you know the definition of the word thethypod? And you know where this group of vertebrates comes from?
We will tell you the origin and evolution of these animals, their most striking and important characteristics, and show you examples of each of them. If you want to know all these aspects of the traticpods, read on this article that we present here at Animal Expert.
- The most obvious feature of this group of animals is the presence of four members (hence the name.
- Tetra – four and pruning – feet).
- It is a monophyletic group.
- That is.
- All its representatives share a common ancestor.
- As well as the presence of these members.
- Which constitutes an “evolutionary novelty” (i.
- E.
- Synapomorphy) present in all members of this group.
These include amphibians and amniotics (reptiles, birds and mammals) that, in turn, are characterized by pentadactyl elements (5 fingers) formed by a series of articulated segments that allow the movement of the limb and the movement of the body, and this has evolved from the fleshy fins of the fish that preceded them (Sarcopter-gios). Due to this basic model of the members have been made several adaptations for flight, swimming or running.
The conquest of the Earth was a very long and important evolutionary process that involved morphological and physiological changes in almost all organic systems, which evolved in the context of devoonic ecosystems (about 408-360 million years ago), during which time Tiktaalik, already considered a terrestrial vertebrate.
The transition from water to earth is almost certainly an example of “adaptive radiation”. In the process, animals that acquire certain characteristics (such as primitive walking limbs or the ability to breathe air) colonize new habitats that are more conducive to their survival (with new food sources, less danger of predators, less competition with other species, etc.). These changes are related to the differences between the aquatic and terrestrial environment:
With the passage of water to the earth, the drapods have had to deal with problems such as keeping their bodies on the ground, which are much denser than air, as well as gravity in the terrestrial environment. Therefore, its skeletal system is structured differently from that of fish, because in the traops, it is possible to observe that the vertebrae are interconnected by vertebral extensions (cigapophysis) that allow the flexion of the spine and, at the same time, acts as a suspension bridge to support the weight of the organs below.
On the other hand, there is a tendency to differentiate the column into four or five regions, from the skull to the caudal region:
The main features of the titracds are
As this is a megadiverse group, we will mention the most curious and striking examples of each lineage that we can find today:
They include frogs (frogs and toads), urodeles (salamandras and newts) and gymnophions or Cecilia. Examples include:
To better understand these particular titracys, you may also be interested in this other article on amphibian breathing.
They include modern reptiles, turtles and birds. Examples include
Current mammals such as:
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Curiosities section of the animal world.