Question:

Fish evolving legs/arms question.?

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According to evolution, fish developed arms and legs and became amphibians eventually right, but how exactly did it start? I can see how a fish that can also walk can be considered more fit, therefore natural selection would select that fish to further evolve, but right at the beginning, when there was a mutation that game fish tiny leg/arm bones, how did that help the fish at all, and how did natural selection select that fish as apposed to the other ones with no leg/arm bones. Because at the beginning, when the little arms and legs were useless still, I see no reason why that fish with the little arms/legs should not die, along with its mutated self. I'm far from an expert, so please point out any misconceptions of mine, while answering, thank you.

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  1. yeah and how come the fish today aren't trying to grow arms right now


  2. That's not how it worked. Fish don't just mutate legs and arms. Evolution is a very gradual process. As ocean life grew and diversified they began to consume more resources. Obviously any resources or plant life that was growing on shore was inaccessible. That was until fish started swimming closer and closer to the shore to reach these resources. A fish that could flop itself out of the water into the mud the farthest would be able to reach more resources and therefore would have an advantage. These individuals likely had stronger fins than the fish that couldn't flop up as far. So the fish with stronger fins passed on more of their genes and the population gradually got stronger and stronger fins that became more and more specialized to help them escape the water.

  3. They now believe that the first arms were actually for holding on to gravel or rocks in flowing streams like in a giant salamander.  More support means that the fish/amphibian could use less energy by more firmly grasping rocks in streams to fight the current rather than having to swim to fight the current.  They base that on a fossil that looks very much like a giant salamander.

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