Lobe-finned bony fish — Gogonasus andrewsae

Geologic period: Late Devonian

Age: Approximately 375 million years ago.

Feeding: Predatory feeding is inferred from fish anatomy.

Locomotion: Aquatic swimming using paired and median fins.

Body plan: Lobe-finned fish with robust internal fin bones and a skull showing features relevant to tetrapod origins.

Evidence: Skull and fin anatomy provide direct evidence; evolutionary placement comes from comparative analysis.

Why it matters: Gogonasus preserves anatomical clues important for understanding the evolutionary transition from lobe-finned fishes toward tetrapods.

Plain Language Identity: A Late Devonian lobe-finned fish from Australia's famous Gogo fossil deposits.

What You Are Looking At: A cast representing the skull anatomy of Gogonasus.

Ecosystem: Tropical Devonian reef environment in what is now Western Australia.

Preservation: The visitor object is a cast based on exceptionally preserved fossil material.

Find Location: Gogo Formation region, Western Australia.

Open Questions: Do not portray Gogonasus as a land animal or as a single direct ancestor of tetrapods.

Source Urls: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour/current-exhibits/deep-time-virtual-tour-fossil-list; https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/resources/600-million-years/

Enrichment Method: SAGE curated research pass; title and scientific name matched; evidence separated from inference

Scientific name: Gogonasus andrewsae

Evidence / representation: comparative_exact_taxon_visual

comparative_exact_taxon_visual

Oceans Before Dinosaurs: The Rise of Complex Animal Life.

Media license: CC BY-SA 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0