What is wrong with the theory where a fish crawls onto land and transforms into a salamander, then a rodent, then a monkey, then a human?

Answer 1

Hi Rose P.,

The main issue is that evolution happens over many, many generations (punctuated equilibrium) -- so the *same* fish is not the critter in the rest of the sequence. It isn't even a fish any longer (as descendants) once it is an amphibian.

Have you ever tried to catch a frog in a shallow puddle, by the way? They don't get out of the way as a fish would.

-- Cheers, --Mr. d.