African Lungfish: Anatomy, Life Cycle, and Evolutionary Significance #3694576 (License: Personal Use)

The image displays a detailed scientific illustration of Protopterus annectens, showcasing both the elongated, mottled adult with functional lungs and lobed fins, and its larval form equipped with external gills, a yolk sac, and developing paired limbs. Notable features include the cement sucker used for adhesion during early development and the transition from aquatic respiration to air-breathing capability. This depiction emphasizes the fish’s role as a living fossil bridging aquatic and terrestrial vertebrate evolution.

Used in educational biology resources, museum exhibits, and evolutionary zoology articles to illustrate sarcopterygian anatomy and tetrapod origins; targets students, researchers, and nature enthusiasts seeking visual understanding of lungfish development and adaptation.