Do Snakes Have Vestigial Legs

Snakes are some of the almost mythical creatures that live on earth. Creation stories from all around the globe have stories of snakes, and people are universally terrified of them. Nevertheless, something is so fascinating virtually these scaly creatures. In ane detail creation story, a snake loses its legs and is forced to slither for the residuum of time. Today, nosotros are going to be taking a await, non at the cosmos story, but at the idea of snakes having legs! Do snakes have legs? Let's find out together!

Do snakes have legs?

Currently, there are over three,000 species of snake recognized globally. In nearly every environment likewise the polar regions, snakes have learned how to brand their habitation. While there aren't too many things that universally connect snakes, there are a few features that scientists have come up up with in order to better allocate them.

To exist classified as a snake, a creature within the suborder Serpentes (snakes), an animal must have no limbs, voice, external ears, or eyelids, ane functional lung, and a long body. In short, snakes exercise non take legs. Information technology's actually one of the things that makes a snake a snake!

Yet, despite snakes no longer having legs, that wasn't always the instance. Million of years ago, the precursors to snakes had to lose their legs in club to proceeds an evolutionary advantage. Let's larn more nigh the ancient predecessors of snakes and how we know well-nigh them today!

Why do pythons and boas have vestigial legs?

A The 7 Best Snake Guard Chaps You Can Buy Today — Pythons and boas have the vestigial remains of ancient legs long gone.
Ain piece of work / Creative Commons – License

Although modern snakes don't accept legs, nosotros can see that they used to take legs a few million years ago! The process of evolution is tedious, but nosotros can come across the remnants of legs in a few species of snakes.

Pythons and boas are both types of big constricting snakes that accept been effectually for a long time. In fact, many scientists believe them to be amongst the most "basal species" of mod snakes today. A "basal" creature is simply the primeval species that likely gave rise to other species.

As some of the earliest snakes on the timeline, nosotros can still see the changes that happened in the near past, at least in relation to how long they have been around. One of the clearest examples of this is the vestigial legs that are unique to boas and pythons. A vestigial organ is an organ that is the remnant of an evolutionary past that doesn't accept much use in modernity. In humans, wisdom teeth and the appendix are examples of vestigial remains.

In pythons and boas, two small hind leg bones are buried in the muscles near the base of their tails. They are conspicuously the remains of ancient legs long gone and serve little purpose today. Still, pythons and boas seem to apply these pocket-size spurs to aid in mating activities and to improve hold onto tree branches.

What are legless lizards?

Although modern snakes don't have legs, the creatures that were around earlier snakes lived did – lizards! Incredibly, there is an entire segment of legless lizards that live on earth today. These reptiles don't have legs, but they don't accept all the traits to fully allocate them as a ophidian.

Overall, there are hundreds of species of legless lizards globally. Let'due south wait at some of the most interesting ones:

Glass lizards

For well-nigh people, glass lizards are what they think of when imagining a legless lizard. These lizards get their name from their ability to drib their tails as they are easily cleaved. Once broken, they take a tendency to break into smaller pieces like drinking glass. There are many species of glass lizards, all of which appear totally legless or with tiny vestigial legs.

Flap-footed lizards

Flap-footed lizards are a grouping of legless lizards that are classified as geckos. As their proper name suggests, flap-footed lizards get their proper noun from their hind legs, if yous can even call them legs. They are vestigial and the only remaining organ is a small flap.

Grass lizards

Grass lizards, otherwise known as the Chamaesaura, are a genus of legless lizards from southern and eastern Africa. The lizards in this genus only have small spikes on for limbs. These lizards move like snakes, pushing their bellies against their environment in gild to motility.

How long ago did snakes lose their legs?

Currently, the best scientific estimates as to when snakes lost their legs stand at 150 meg years ago. Aboriginal fossils aid to create these estimates, although there is some give and accept equally to when exactly things happened. The newest fossil of a snake with legs is of a specimen known as Nagash rionegrina (the Hebrew word for snake). Nagash was the first instance of a terrestrial snake species that had robust hind legs.

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