“After 160 years of getting it wrong, this paper corrects this very important feature based not on guesswork, but on empirical evidence.” “This research revolutionizes our understanding of the jugal bone in snake and non-snake lizards,” said Professor Michael Caldwell, from the University of Alberta. “ Najash shows how snakes evolved from lizards in incremental evolutionary steps, just like Darwin predicted,” added Professor Mike Lee, from Flinders University and South Australian Museum. Its middle ear is intermediate between that of lizards and living snakes, and unlike all living snakes it retains a well-developed cheekbone, which again is reminiscent of that of lizards.” “It has some, but not all of the flexible joints found in the skull of modern snakes. “ Najash has the most complete, three-dimensionally preserved skull of any ancient snake, and this is providing an amazing amount of new information on how the head of snakes evolved,” Dr. Garberoglio and their colleagues performed high-resolution (CT) scanning and light microscopy of Najash rionegrina skulls from northern Patagonia, Argentina, to reveal substantial new anatomical data on the early evolution of snakes. Image credit: Garberoglio et al, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aax5833.ĭr. The specimens of Najash rionegrina from the La Buitrera Palaeontological Area in northern Patagonia, Argentina.
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