The discovery in Brazil of a fossil snake with four legs, a unique specimen, suggests that the ancestors of these reptiles were not terrestrial and marine , according to a study published Thursday by the journal Science.
The new species, named Tetrapodophis amplectus, lived in the Cretaceous, made between about 146 and 100 million years, and presents many physiological traits similar the current snake :. short nose, elongated cranial vault, scales, sharp teeth and a very flexible jaw to swallow large prey
This reptile also had a similar vertebral structure that of their modern descendants that allows extreme necessary to squeeze their prey to drown FLEXIBILITY.
The only major difference with modern snakes Tetrapodophis four legs are apparently not served to move but to catch prey or mating.
The authors of this study also reveal the absence of the typical long tail of aquatic reptiles such as alligators, c onfrontando and the hypothesis that snakes do not directly descended from aquatic ancestors.
The researchers analyzed the genetic and morphological characteristics of Tetrapodophis and compared it with other known species of snakes.
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