Posted on 04/25/2006 3:47:53 AM PDT by PatrickHenry
Charles Darwin was fascinated by snakes — in particular, by the tiny hip and leg bones nestled inside boa constrictors and other species. They were some of the most striking cases of evolution's imprint. Snakes descended from walking ancestors, and as they adapted to slithering, their legs dwindled to a few vestiges.
It took more than a century after Darwin's death for paleontologists to find fossils of snakes with legs. In the last decade, they have found four species. The fourth, known as Najash rionegrini, was unveiled in the April 20 issue of the journal Nature, and it has reignited a debate about how snakes lost their legs.
[snip, as required by the NYT]
Dr. Zaher has added fresh fuel to this debate with his report on Najash rionegrini, of which he was a co-author with Sebastián Apesteguia of the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences. Dr. Apesteguia discovered the 90-million-year-old fossil in 2003 in the Río Negro region of Argentina. The name Najash is the Hebrew word for the snake of the Garden of Eden. After finding the fossil, Dr. Apesteguia invited Dr. Zaher to help him study its anatomy.
"From the first moment, it was obvious to me that it was important snake," Dr. Zaher said.
[snip, as required by the NYT]
Dr. Zaher notes that Najash lived on land, a fact he says casts doubt on the ocean origin of snakes. Losing legs may instead have been an adaptation in early snakes for burrowing after prey.
[yet another snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I'm referring to #12. But hey, if it was just an ironic passage and not supposed to be an explanation for today's snakes, that's cool. :-)
Heck all them scientist types can just go to both houses of Congress and get all the up-close and personal "field" study time they want..
Do you also believe that women have one fewer rib than men?
I’m not a Doctor but speaking of ribs:
One time during a “certain time of the month” Eve accused Adam of having an affair with another woman.
Knowing how she was during that “time” Adam was very gentle with her and said “Now Eve darling, you know that you are the only woman on earth how could I possibly be seeing someone else”
Thinking he had her convinced and calmed down
Adam went to sleep very proud of himself for handling
the situation so tactfully only to be awaken in the middle
of the night by Eve poking him in the side and
Saying “ONE TWO THREE FOUR”
Awwwww, how precious....
What's it's name?
I love snakes. They make nice pets.
#77
THAT is a FACT!
It's provable and repeatable.
I knew someone would say that. ICK!
:-)
His name is Pyewacket. That picture is a year old, he's a little bigger now (not much).
"I am much more baffled by the Oarfish and its evolution:"
Once you figure that one out please try to find out why I have nipples. P.S. I am 100% male and so is my dog who has at least a dozen!
Lizards have eyelids. Snakes Don't. To a biologist legs or no legs don't determine snake or lizard -- eyelids do.
There are even legless lizards -- That DO have eyelids.
My post above.
But when I think about it -- It's a pretty dumb way to determine. Why not just say -- No legs = snake. Legs=Lizard. And for the leg-less lizards {with eye-lids},
Just call them lidded snakes.
But I'm no biologist.
I wish I could have a snake, but my husband "doesn't like" (i. e. is scared of) them.
:-)
Ball pythons are the species typically used by professionals to help people get over their fear of snakes.
Balls are very docile, slow moving and pretty to look at.
But I know from life-long experience that it is very hard to get someone over a fear of snakes.
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