Erpetoichthys

/ˌɜrpɪtoʊˈɪkθɪs/ noun

Definition

A genus of African fish with elongated bodies and paired fins that look like limbs, sometimes called the ropefish or reedfish.

Etymology

From Greek 'herpeton' (creeping/reptile) + 'ichthys' (fish). The name references how this fish moves like a reptile with its fin-based locomotion.

Kelly Says

Erpetoichthys calabaricus is a living fossil—it's so primitive it's nearly unchanged from fish that lived 300 million years ago, making it one of evolution's greatest survivors.

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