A taxonomic group or class of extinct gill-bearing amphibians, ancestors of modern tetrapods.
From 'branchiosaur' + Latin '-ia' (group suffix). Paleontological classification for early Carboniferous vertebrates showing intermediate fish-tetrapod characteristics.
Branchiosauria fossils capture the moment evolution was wrestling with a huge design problem: how do you keep living on land when your lungs are developing but gills are shutting down?
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