Paleontologists Debunk Fossil Thought to be Missing Link Between Lizards and First Snakes
Published:23 Nov.2021 Source:Taylor & Francis Group
In a paper published in the journal Sciencein 2015, a team of researchers reported the discovery of what was believed to be an example of the first known four-legged snake fossil, an animal they named Tetrapodophis amplectus. ‘If correctly interpreted based on the preserved anatomy, this would be a very important discovery,’ said Caldwell.
Caldwell explained that the new study of Tetrapodophis revealed a number of mischaracterizations of the anatomy and morphology of the specimen -- traits that initially seemed to be shared most closely with snakes, suggesting this might be the long-sought-after snake with four legs. ‘There are many evolutionary questions that could be answered by finding a four-legged snake fossil, but only if it is the real deal. The major conclusion of our team is that Tetrapodophis amplectus is not in fact a snake and was misclassified,’ said Caldwell.