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A Fossil Snake with Limbs

2000; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 287; Issue: 5460 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1126/science.287.5460.2010

1095-9203

Eitan Tchernov, Olivier Rieppel, Hussam Zaher, Michael J. Polcyn, Louis L. Jacobs,

Evolution and Paleontology Studies

A 95-million-year-old fossil snake from the Middle East documents the most extreme hindlimb development of any known member of that group, as it preserves the tibia, fibula, tarsals, metatarsals, and phalanges. It is more complete than Pachyrhachis, a second fossil snake with hindlimbs that was recently portrayed to be basal to all other snakes. Phylogenetic analysis of the relationships of the new taxon, as well as reanalysis of Pachyrhachis, shows both to be related to macrostomatans, a group that includes relatively advanced snakes such as pythons, boas, and colubroids to the exclusion of more primitive snakes such as blindsnakes and pipesnakes.