National
SA scientist makes groundbreaking fossil discovery─── 07:33 Fri, 08 Jun 2018
A South African scientist, Dr Robert Gess, has made history by unveiling two fossils that are believed to be 360 million years old.
The bones belong to tetrapods, some of the first creatures to walk on four legs. Scientists say it took millions of years before animals moved between water and land.
Gess is part of a team which identified the two fossils near Grahamstown. These animals evolved from fish, growing stubs which served as legs.
According to Gess: "These things are 360-million-years-old, so they are 70 million years older than anything with legs in Africa before and they are 120 million years older than the earliest dinosaur."
These creatures provide crucial clues about life on Earth. Experts say they could be our ancestors.
"You can actually match every bone in your body to a bone in one of these creatures," said Gess.
Almost all tetrapod fossils have been found outside Africa.
This discovery is a game changer, suggesting they also emerged here at home.
eNCA
