Early tetrapod neck mobility modelled using an extant analogue

October 14, 2026 · 3:00 pm 2 sources

Image: Nature

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Wires & papers of record

• Early tetrapod neck mobility modelled using an extant analogue
  Nature · October 14, 2026 00:00
  Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11158-3 Biomechanical analysis of several early tetrapods using sturgeon as an analogue revealed that early tetrapods had limited neck mobility despite separation of the head and shoulders.

More coverage

• Modeling study shows early tetrapods had surprisingly little ability to move their necks
  Phys.org · October 14, 2026 15:00
  A new model using sturgeon as a material analog has made it possible to estimate how the backbones of some of the first animals on land could and could not move. These results disprove a long-standing hypothesis that changes in early tetrapod anatomy as they moved onto land gave them improved neck…