The Real Evolution from Lizard to Snakes. (Scientific Study)

 

Snake skeletons are just as recognised as lizard skeletons. Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been able to dissect the correlation between lizards and Snakes. They are not far from each other.

Already there are Lizard species regarded as Snakes today and the photo is depicted above. But these Snakes species, evolution from Lizards. Here is the explanation below…

The study provides new perspective on Hox genes, which govern the boundaries of the neck, trunk, lumbar, sacral and tail regions of limbed animals. The functions of Hox genes previously were thought to have been disrupted in snakes, resulting in seemingly simplified body forms.

Snakes differ from mammals, birds and most other reptiles because they lack forelimbs, shoulder girdles and breastbones. It was thought that when they lost their limbs, they also lost the regional distinctions that separated their backbones into neck, trunk, lumbar and other regions.

Yet when Head and Polly examined the shapes of individual vertebral bones in snakes, lizards, alligators and mice, they found snakes had regional differentiation like that of lizards.

Which invariably makes them similar. But the evolution of Snakes has made them more wild.  “If the evolution of the snake body was driven by simplification or loss of Hox genes, we would expect to see fewer regional differences in the shapes of vertebrae,” Head said. “Instead, what we found was the exact opposite. Snakes have the same number of regions and in the same places in the vertebral column as limbed lizards.”

 

Part of this Article was taken from phys.org and University of Nebraska-Lincoln