Definitions for tetrapod
ˈtɛ trəˌpɒdtetra·pod

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. tetrapodnoun

   a vertebrate animal having four feet or legs or leglike appendages

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tetrapodnoun

   Any vertebrate with four limbs.

2. tetrapodnoun

   Any vertebrate (such as birds or snakes) that have evolved from early tetrapods; especially all members of the superclass Tetrapoda

3. tetrapodnoun

   Concrete structures with 'arms' used to arrest wave energy along the shore in sea defence projects.

4. tetrapodadjective

   Having four limbs or feet

5. Etymology: From tetra- ("four") and -pod, from podos ("foot").

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tetrapod

   Tetrapods (; from Ancient Greek τετρα- (tetra-) 'four', and πούς (poús) 'foot') are four-limbed vertebrate animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda (). It includes extant and extinct amphibians, sauropsids (reptiles, including dinosaurs and therefore birds) and synapsids (pelycosaurs, extinct therapsids and all extant mammals). Tetrapods evolved from a clade of primitive semiaquatic animals known as the Tetrapodomorpha which, in turn, evolved from ancient lobe-finned fish (sarcopterygians) around 390 million years ago in the Middle Devonian period; their forms were transitional between lobe-finned fishes and true four-limbed tetrapods. Limbed vertebrates (tetrapods in the broad sense of the word) are first known from Middle Devonian trackways, and body fossils became common near the end of the Late Devonian but these were all aquatic. The first crown-tetrapods (last common ancestors of extant tetrapods capable of terrestrial locomotion) appeared by the very early Carboniferous, 350 million years ago.The specific aquatic ancestors of the tetrapods and the process by which they colonized Earth's land after emerging from water remains unclear. The transition from a body plan for gill-based aquatic respiration and tail-propelled locomotion to one that enables the animal to survive out of water and move around on land is one of the most profound evolutionary changes known. Tetrapods have numerous anatomical and physiological features that are distinct from their aquatic fish ancestors. These include distinct head and neck structures for feeding and movements, appendicular skeletons (shoulder and pelvic girdles in particular) for weight bearing and locomotion, more versatile eyes for seeing, middle ears for hearing, and more efficient heart and lungs for oxygen circulation and exchange outside water. The first tetrapods (stem) or "fishapods" were primarily aquatic. Modern amphibians, which evolved from earlier groups, are generally semiaquatic; the first stages of their lives are as waterborne eggs and fish-like larvae known as tadpoles, and later undergo metamorphosis to grow limbs and become partly terrestrial and partly aquatic. However, most tetrapod species today are amniotes, most of which are terrestrial tetrapods whose branch evolved from earlier tetrapods early in the Late Carboniferous. The key innovation in amniotes over amphibians is the amnion, which enables the eggs to retain their aqueous contents on land, rather than needing to stay in water. (Some amniotes later evolved internal fertilization, although many aquatic species outside the tetrapod tree had evolved such before the tetrapods appeared, e.g. Materpiscis.) Some tetrapods, such as snakes and caecilians, have lost some or all of their limbs through further speciation and evolution; some have only concealed vestigial bones as a remnant of the limbs of their distant ancestors. Others returned to being amphibious or otherwise living partially or fully aquatic lives, the first during the Carboniferous period, others as recently as the Cenozoic.One group of amniotes diverged into the reptiles, which includes lepidosaurs, dinosaurs (which includes birds), crocodilians, turtles, and extinct relatives; while another group of amniotes diverged into the mammals and their extinct relatives. Amniotes include the tetrapods that further evolved for flight—such as birds from among the dinosaurs, pterosaurs from the archosaurs, and bats from among the mammals.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tetrapod

   A tetrapod is an animal belonging to the superclass Tetrapoda, characterized by the presence of four limbs or limb-like appendages. This group includes all species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals that descended from a common terrestrial ancestor.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tetrapodnoun

   an insect characterized by having but four perfect legs, as certain of the butterflies

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tetrapod

   The superclass Tetrapoda, or in semi-anglicized form the tetrapods, comprises the first four-limbed vertebrates and their descendants, including the living and extinct amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. While most species today are terrestrial, there is little evidence that any of the earliest tetrapods could move about on land, as their limbs could not have held their midsections off the ground and the known trackways do not indicate that they dragged their bellies around. Presumably, the tracks were made by animals bottom-walking in shallow water. Amphibians today generally remain semi-aquatic, living the first stage of their lives as fish-like tadpoles. Several groups of tetrapods, such as the snakes and cetaceans have lost some or all of their limbs. And many tetrapods have returned to partially aquatic or fully aquatic lives, throughout the history of the group. The first returns to an aquatic lifestyle may have occurred as early as the Carboniferous, for instance in the lepospondyl Microbrachis, whereas other returns occurred as recently as the Cenozoic, as in cetaceans, pinnipeds, and several lissamphibians.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tetrapod

   tet′ra-pod, n. an insect distinguished by having but four perfect legs.—adj. four-footed, with four legs—also Tetrap′odous.—n. Tetrap′ody, a group of four feet. [Gr., tetra-, four, pous, podos, foot.]

Matched Categories

1. • Vertebrate

How to pronounce tetrapod?

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Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of tetrapod in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of tetrapod in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=tetrapod
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Tetrapod
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrapod
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tetrapod
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=tetrapod
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=tetrapod