Millions of years ago snakes once had hips

Once, snakes used to have legs. Recent findings also reveal at least one of them has had a hip. The newly discovered fossil can help scientists link dark parts in the evolutionary history of snakes.

So far, the prevailing view is that ancient snakes had no legs since they crawled from the water to the mainland. However, that may not be true.

Illustrated by Najash, the oldest snake species ever found, crawled with two legs and
is evidence that the snake family evolved on land rather than from the sea. (Photo: Livesience)

The newly discovered snake named Najash rionegrina, lived about 90 million years ago in Patagonia, Argentina. Scientists unearthed it under continental sediments, proving it lived on land. The animal also has many characteristics of the skull and spine in conjunction with modern land snakes and are essential traits for shallow life.

"The new creature is a further endorsement of the snake's mainland origin and eliminates the hypothesis of a snake-to-sea contact with extinct marine reptiles, called mosasaur, " study co-author Hussam Zaher from the University of Meseu de Zoologia in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said.

Mosasaurs are a type of snake reptile, living in the water, with paddle-like legs that help it swim. The previous hypothesis was that snakes appeared when these flippers were dissipated.

Photo of the hip bone of Najash snake. Can see the right thigh in the upper part of the image. ( Photo: LiveScience )

Najash "defeated " three sea snake fossils with developed hind legs - Haaisophis, Pachyrhachis, and Eupodophis - at the base of the snake family tree, to become the most primitive snake known. Other species lack hip bones, and Zaher's analysis shows they have closer relatives to later developed snake species.

What is currently controversial is a snake with a hip bone, which means it can use its legs to dig and crawl. That will lead to the same way of life as the modern burrow snakes."Morphologically, the legs have a complete function , " Zaher said. "Even so, we can't be sure how the snake has used them."

Later, snakes consumed their hips and hind legs, becoming more specialized for the types of life on land and in different waters.

T. An