A unique new tetrapod fauna from the latest Devonian of Greenland ...

• Main Authors: BYRNE, Hannah, BLOM, Henning, QVARNSTROM, Martin, AHLBERG, Per E.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility 2026
• Subjects: Earth Sciences; ES-1297; BM18; Greenland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.15151/esrf-es-1039156646; https://doi.esrf.fr/10.15151/ESRF-ES-1039156646

The origin of tetrapods (land vertebrates) during the Devonian period was a key event in the evolution of the global ecosystem and in our own ancestry, but their early history is still poorly understood. This is seen clearly in the case of the end-Devonian mass extinction, the first major extinction event after the origin of tetrapods: land plants and non-marine fishes were devastated, and tetrapods may also have been severely impacted - but nobody knows. The reason is that there has been, until now, only a single tetrapod fossil locality with a single tetrapod (Tulerpeton) from the time immediately before the extinction event. During July-August 2022 I led an ERC-funded expedition to Greenland which collected the first extensive tetrapod fauna from the latest Devonian: at least 4-5 taxa represented by well-preserved 3D fossils. I now seek beam time on BM18 to image the most important specimens. The results will revolutionise our understanding of early tetrapod evolution. ...