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Prehistoric Life

How long was Acanthostega gunnari?

An adult Acanthostega gunnari had a body length of about 60 cm (2 ft).

What is measured: adult, body length

Acanthostega gunnari (60 cm) drawn to scale beside a bowling pin (38.1 cm) and an adult person (1.7 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Bowling pin (38.1 cm), Acanthostega gunnari (60 cm) and Adult person (1.7 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About 1.6× the height of a bowling pin
  • As long as about 7 credit cards end to end
  • About 35% of the height of an adult person
  • About 30% of the height of a doorway
  • About 4.1× the height of a smartphone

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Facts about Acanthostega gunnari

Acanthostega had eight digits on each forelimb, showing that early limbed vertebrates did not yet have the modern five-digit pattern.

Source: Natural History Museum, Acanthostega; University of California Museum of Paleontology, Acanthostega

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Acanthostega gunnari
Paradoxides davidis45 cm (1 ft 6 in)0.75×
Archaeopteryx50 cm (1 ft 8 in)0.83×
Yi qi60 cm (2 ft)same size
Thylacinus cynocephalus60 cm (2 ft)same size
Leaellynasaura amicagraphica60 cm (2 ft)same size
Acanthostega gunnari60 cm (2 ft)this page
Meganeura monyi70 cm (2 ft 4 in)1.2×
Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis70 cm (2 ft 4 in)1.2×
Confuciusornis sanctus70 cm (2 ft 4 in)1.2×
Microraptor gui77 cm (2 ft 6 in)1.3×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Acanthostega gunnari or Archaeopteryx?

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