An Evolutionary ‘Big Bang’ Explains Why Snakes Come in So Many Strange Varieties

The evolutionary “Big Explosion” explains why snakes come in many strange varieties

TO Jack Tamisia Edited Andrea Thompson

When they first developed from lizards more than 100 million years ago, the snakes were environmental players moving around the ecosystems in which dinosaurs prevail. But today there are about 4,000 types of snakes, in size from green anaconds, which weigh more than adult gorillas, to nidi snakes, which are lighter than a clip. They are one of the most effective and diverse earth predators. “Snakes are really exceptional,” says Daniel Worker, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Michigan.

Out of approximately 25 groups Lizards who independently lost their legsSnakes became the only ones who really exploded in diversity. A new study published this week Science explains why: genomic data showed that Snakes experienced a surge in adaptation about 125 million years ago– It is necessary in their evolutionary history – this helped them use many environmental gaps. “The article demonstrates that snakes are the evolutionary“ singularity ”that has changed the face of the earth,” says Michael Lee, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Flinders in Australia, who studies the evolution of reptiles, but is not connected with a new study.

To determine which snakes are separated by groups of free lizards, Workers and a team of researchers built an in -depth evolutionary tree. They formed their branches using genomic data from more than 1000 Types of squamats (The order of reptiles, which includes snakes and lizards), to make a set of how these scaly creatures have changed over time. Finally, they strengthened this set of data with diet information from almost 70,000 separate lizards and snakes, primarily samples stored in alcohol in museum collections.

On the support of scientific journalism

If you like this article, consider the opportunity to support our journalism awards SubscriptionWhen buying a subscription, you help to ensure the future of effective stories about discoveries and ideas that form our world today.

The results showed a surge of early adaptation, which, in the visible, was associated with the development of specialized features. These features include chemoreceptive structures that experimentally help snakes Determine your prey using aroma and heat And Flexible jaws that help them swallow oversized foodSome field Snakes developed deadly poison Hunting for great prey.

The new article does not go to the limb to determine what specific feature led to the success of the snakes. Lee says that it was probably the interaction of the features that helped them get into evolutionary jackpot. “Snakes are successful from synergism of multiple adaptations [such as] Extended bodies, narrowing, poison, flexible skulls, Lee says. “Many lizards without leg have one or two of these functions of the snake, but were not almost as successful.” He quotes a group of hecticons that have an elongated body and a flexible skull, but have never been diversified in more than a handful of species.

The Worker agrees that the adoption of a set of specialized features has probably helped to overload the evolution of snakes. Based on the evolutionary tree of research, snakes, in the visible, developed about three times faster than lizards. “The speed with which snakes develop new functions and develop new types of diets are mainly knocked out into overload,” says Worker. “Lizards hug on a moped, and snakes are in a bullet train.”

Such a quick evolution probably allowed the snakes to exploit more environmental breaks than lizards after a catastrophic mass extinction, which occurred 66 million years ago, found several groups of reptiles, including non -Avian dinosaurs. This versatility is still reflected in the diets of snakes today. Most living lizards adhere to insects or other small arthropods; Snakes, as a rule, are much more enterprising and will hunt animals, starting from rodents and birds to kangaroo and crocodiles.

Despite the fact that the snakes all together evolve various tastes, many species are highly specialized for aiming for specific prey. These include species from spatulas that developed to dig up the prey, and the types of sea snakes that swim with a rowing tail and snacks for prey, such as reef fish. Other species swallow bird eggs. Some even consume a harmful fare that, several other species would dare to eat. Most lizards specialize much less and just eat any invertebrates, small enough to fit in the mouth.

The Works and its co -authors describe the explosion of evolutionary innovations that began the evolution of the snakes as “macro -evolutionary singularity”. As an evolutionary big explosion, these rare events occur when a group of organisms quickly diversify to various new species in the blink of an eye, according to geological standards. The sudden explosion of the flowering variety of plants in the Cretaceous period is another example of this phenomenon, which Charles Darwin called the “disgusting mystery.”

The Worker says that this is just another example, as “these large explosions of evolution are very important for the history of life on Earth.”

It's time to defend science

If you liked this article, I would like to ask for your support. Scientific American For 180 years, he served as a defender of science and industry, and now he may be the most important moment in the history of two centuries.

I was Scientific American The subscriber from the age of 12, and this helped to form how I look at the world. Let me know He always teaches and delights me, and inspires me with fear for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope this does it too for you.

If you Subscribe to Scientific AmericanYou help to ensure that our lighting is focused on significant research and discoveries; that we have resources to report on decisions that threaten laboratories throughout the United States; And that we support both beginners and working scientists at a time when the very value of science is too often unrecognized.

In return, you get important news, Fascinating podcastsBrilliant infographics, I can't miss the information ballotsI definitely watch the video, Complex gamesAnd the best spelling and reporting in science. You can even Give anyone a subscriptionField

We have never had a more important time to get up and show why science matters. I hope you support us in this mission.