Video: Lungfish struts on pelvic fins

A lungfish that uses its fins for walking could help to unravel the steps our distant relations took in order to move from water to land.

The African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) has lobe-shaped fins similar to those seen in the ancestors of the first vertebrates to walk on land.

Anecdotal evidence suggested that the fish use these to walk along lake beds. Now Heather King of the University of Chicago in Illinois has filmed the lungfish in motion and found that they do indeed walk using their two pelvic fins.

This suggests fins were used for walking before they evolved into specialised limbs, says King.

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1118669109