Scientists finally classify perplexing Palaeospondylus gunni fish-like fossil

For the first time since its discovery 130 years ago, one of the most mysterious fossil vertebrates finally has been classified, increasing our possible understanding of the first animals to crawl the Earth.

The classification of Palaeospondylus gunni, a peculiar fish-like fossil vertebrate that was discovered more than 130 years ago, has now been determined by scientists, solving one of the longest standing puzzles in the field of palaeontology. 

This discovery may lead to a better understanding of the earliest critters to crawl the surface of the Earth. The University of Tokyo, the Australian National University, and the Evolutionary Morphology Laboratory at RIKEN worked together on this study, with the University of Tokyo serving as the study's primary investigator.

Palaeospondylus gunni was an eel-like creature that lived roughly 390 million years ago. It is distinguished by the absence of teeth and dermal bones in the fossil record, which is one of its distinctive physical characteristics. 

Since its discovery in 1890, this creature has been a mystery to scientists. However, with recent developments in high-resolution 3D segmentation and visualization, it has become possible to morphologically compare the specimens.

Due to the cartilaginous composition of its skeleton and the absence of paired appendages, the study team came to the conclusion that Palaeospondylus was most likely a member of the group Sarcopterygii, which is comprised of lobe-finned fish. 

Although the findings present important new information, additional research, involving the collaboration of scientists from all over the world, is required in order to determine the evolutionary history of animals with four limbs and reveal a variety of previously undiscovered morphological characteristics.