What is Pederpes?
Q: What is Pederpes?
A: Pederpes is an extinct genus of early Carboniferous tetrapod, dating from the lower Mississippian, 359–345 million years ago (mya).
Q: How long was Pederpes?
A: Pederpes was 1 meter long.
Q: Where was the fossil of Pederpes found?
A: The fossil of Pederpes was found in East Kirton quarry, West Lothian, Scotland, in early Carboniferous rocks.
Q: Is Pederpes the only known tetrapod from the earliest Carboniferous?
A: Yes, Pederpes is the first (and only) known near-complete skeleton of a tetrapod from the earliest Carboniferous.
Q: What parts are missing from the skeleton of Pederpes?
A: The skeleton of Pederpes lacks only the tail and some digits.
Q: What is significant about the feet of Pederpes?
A: The specimen of Pederpes shows the earliest example of a foot adapted for walking on land. The feet look like the feet of later, more terrestrially adapted Carboniferous forms.
Q: Where does Pederpes fit in the fossil record?
A: Pederpes fits in the middle of a gap in the fossil record which separates the aquatic Devonian tetrapods from the terrestrial ones of the mid-Carboniferous.
