Fish raised on land walk with a more effective gait, Standen says. They plant their legs closer to the body’s midline, they lift their heads higher, and they slip less during that walking cycle. The fish raised on land were also generally more consistent in the way they walked than their aquatic counterparts. But their behavior wasn’t the only thing that changed. For example, the bones in the pectoral girdle — the bones that support the fins — changed their shape, she says. And their clavicles became elongated. Most changes that occurred were ones that gave their heads and fins more room to move around.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 16:28:04 +0000