When you think of snakes, you think of crawling and venomous animals, right? Or else, imagine giant and strong animals, as in “Anaconda”, which can kill – and eat! – other animals by constriction. But did you know that snakes had legs at some point in the past?
According to experts, the ancestors of snakes were lizards. It is speculated that they have the same origin as iguanas and chameleons. However, at some point, they lost their little legs. Or rather, their paws.
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Snakes had legs and didn't come from the water, as imagined.
Some time ago, there was a theory that snakes came from an aquatic ancestor. However, this hypothesis began to be discarded by scientists.
Today, it is believed that these reptiles came from the earth and had legs. The hypothesis is supported by a fossil found in 2006. The archaeological find is of a serpent with hind legs.
In 2015, a study by “BMC Evolutionary Biology” showed that the ancestors of the modern snake were nocturnal predators and, yes, they had small hind limbs. Incidentally, the study showed that they even had ankles and fingers on their legs.
origin of snakes
It is believed that the first snakes appeared in the forests of an ancient continent called Laurasia. From it, North America, Europe and Asia emerged.
A study carried out by Yale University, in the United States, analyzed fossils, genes and the anatomy of 73 species of snakes and lizards to reach a conclusion about the origin of our crawling friends.
Research has come to the conclusion that ancient snakes spread across the world around 128 million years ago and evolved an agile mode of locomotion. With that, it was easy for them to travel for miles more easily than lizards.
Snake habits – now without legs
It is estimated that there are around 3,500 species of snakes worldwide. And they are all carnivores, but with different menus. Besides, of course, the attack mode.
Some species of snakes use the poison to kill their prey, while others use constriction. That is, they immobilize the prey and "embrace" it until the prey is suffocated.
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.