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posted by janrinok on Friday July 24 2015, @12:46PM   Printer-friendly
from the slip-slidin'-away-again dept.

BBC reports:

A 113-million-year-old fossil from Brazil is the first four-legged snake that scientists have ever seen. Several other fossil snakes have have been found with hind limbs, but the new find is estimated to be a direct ancestor of modern snakes.

Its delicate arms and legs were not used for walking, but probably helped the creature to grab its prey. The fossil shows adaptations for burrowing, not swimming, strengthening the idea that snakes evolved on land.

That debate is a long-running one among palaeontologists, and researchers say wiggle-room is running out for the idea that snakes developed from marine reptiles.

Wikipedia entry for snake includes key differences between snakes and legless lizard.


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  • (Score: 4, Funny) by WizardFusion on Friday July 24 2015, @02:49PM

    by WizardFusion (498) Subscriber Badge on Friday July 24 2015, @02:49PM (#213168) Journal

    The world is only 2015 years old, how can this be older than that.?
    /troll /sarcasm

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  • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday July 24 2015, @03:31PM

    by Thexalon (636) on Friday July 24 2015, @03:31PM (#213182)

    No it isn't: You're leaving out all the prequels. Lots of people understand that the Earth is 6019 years old.

    --
    The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
    • (Score: 3, Funny) by penguinoid on Friday July 24 2015, @05:06PM

      by penguinoid (5331) on Friday July 24 2015, @05:06PM (#213218)

      Everything reproduces after its kind. If the ancestor was a tetrapod, the descendent will be a tetrapod.

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