What did a snake evolve from?

Well, that answer is complicated by the fact that the Middle Eastern genera were discovered first--and, since they were found in geologic strata that were submerged in water a hundred million years ago, paleontologists took that as evidence that snakes as a whole evolved from water-dwelling reptiles, most likely the sleek, fierce mosasaurs of the late Cretaceous period. read more

Credit: Michael Lee (Flinders University & South Australian Museum), CC BY-NC-ND One of the enduring controversies in evolution is why snakes evolved their long, limbless bodies. read more

One of the enduring controversies in evolution is why snakes evolved their long, limbless bodies. The prevailing theory is that they evolved from lizards and are really just an extreme type of legless lizard. And as many long-bodied lizards are burrowers, there is a widespread view that snakes developed their serpentine bodies underground. read more