Find fossil of a snake with four legs | El Comercio Peru – Trade

The discovery in Brazil of a fossil snake with four legs, a single specimen suggests that the ancestors of these reptiles were land, not sea, according to a study published in the journal Science

The new species, named Tetrapodophis amplectus, lived in the Cretaceous, some 146 to 100 million years ago, and has many physiological traits similar to those of current snakes. short nose elongated cranial vault, scales, sharp teeth and a very flexible jaw to swallow large prey.

reptile , also had a similar to that of their descendants today vertebral structure FLEXIBILITY allows extreme necessary to squeeze their prey to drown.

The only major difference Tetrapodophis with snake are modern fours, which apparently served to move, but to catch prey.

The authors of this study also reveal the absence of the typical long tail reptiles Water as alligators, thus confronting the hypothesis that snakes do not directly descended from aquatic ancestors

The researchers analyzed the genetic and morphological characteristics of Tetrapodophis and compared with other known species of snakes

Source:.. AFP