Snakes’ ancestors had four legs

New York: The discovery of a four-legged fossil of a snake in Brazil's Crato Formation suggests that this suborder may have evolved from burrowing, rather than marine, ancestors. The unique four-legged specimen found gives more insight into how these creatures evolved into the sleek reptiles that we are familiar with today.

By analysing both the genetics and the morphological features of this species compared to other known snake species, the authors said that the four-legged creature is in fact an ancestor of modern-day snakes. "We've found the ancestor of all snakes. We have found the missing link between four-legged lizards and snakes," said co-researcher David Martill, a professor of paleobiology at the University of Portsmouth, Britain.

The main and glaring difference is Tetrapodophis's four limbs, which seems not been used for locomotion. The limbs were used for grasping either to seize prey or to clasp during mating. The specimen lacks the long, laterally compressed tail typically found in aquatic animals, further suggesting that snakes did not evolve from marine ancestors. Thus, this intriguing fossil hints at how snakes eventually slithered their way into the modern world.