Snakes could be 70 million years
older than previous thought, based on the discovery of four new
types of the reptiles, according to research by Canadian
scientists and published in the latest edition of research
journal Nature Communications.
The team from the University of Alberta, led by Michael
Caldwell, say their research shows the oldest snakes on earth
date back as far as between 140 to 167 million years ago.
That exceeds earlier dating of snakes' ancestors by 70
million years.
The researchers based their findings on the identification
of four new species of snakes from England, Portugal and the
United States, and concluded that the reptiles originated when
most others of their species were in an earlier form.
The newest findings suggest these snakes, in their
prehistoric form, already had similar features to their modern
heirs including sharp teeth.
Other features in the skulls of ancient snakes suggest the
heads evolved before the rest of the body which stretched and
eventually lost its legs, differentiating snakes from lizards.
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