A message about the oldest snake on the planet. Ancient snakes and mother goddess
Recently, paleontologists, using the latest technology, discovered a snake in sediments that are 95 million years old. Yes, not just a snake, but with... hind legs. This discovery made it possible to establish the ancestor of snakes, as well as to find out how these reptiles lost their legs in the process of evolution, which has until now been one of the mysteries of paleontology.
These fossils, which are 95 million years old, were found back in 2000 in the Lebanese village of Al-Nammoura. The remains belonged to a snake Eupodophis descouensi. This reptile reached 50 centimeters in length. The recovered remains were transferred to the Natural History Museum (Paris) for further research.
And recently, a group of scientists led by Dr. Alexandra Housse, using X-rays, carried out a layer-by-layer scan of the sample and, based on its results, built a computer model of the object being studied in 3D format. It turned out that this snake had hind limbs, although very reduced.
The image clearly shows that the internal structure of the paw bones of ancient snakes is largely reminiscent of the structure of the legs of modern land lizards. True, thighs and legs Eupodophis descouensi very shortened, there are also ankle bones, but the foot and fingers are no longer there. Moreover, only one leg of the exhibit remained free, and the second was hidden in the stone, but an X-ray examination was able to show scientists that too. Since both legs are constructed in the same way, we can safely assume that the absence of some parts of the limb is not the result of injury or deformity, but an indicator of the beginning of the reduction of legs in snake ancestors.
"Discovery of the internal structure of the hind limbs Eupodophis allows us to study the process of limb regression during the evolution of snakes. Currently, there are only three fossil snakes with preserved hind limbs and lost forelimbs. They belong to three different groups - these are Haasiophis,Pachyophis And Eupodophis. Other known fossil groups of snakes do not have limbs preserved. However, based on their anatomical structure, it is believed that they did have limbs, but then disappeared.
Now we can even say how such a reduction most likely occurred. These studies show that the loss of limbs by snake ancestors is not the result of some anatomical changes in bone structure, but was most likely associated with a shortening of the growth period. Due to some genetic changes, the paws did not have time to fully form in the embryonic period, so the snakes were born with slightly “unfinished” legs,” says the team leader, paleontologist Alexandra Usse.
By the way, this version is confirmed by research by domestic embryologists. Not long ago, while studying the so-called Hox genes (these are genes responsible for the formation of the body of the embryo in the early stages of development) of snakes and lizards, scientists discovered that the latter lack the Hox-12a gene, and that Hox-13a and Hox- 13b. It is known that these genes are responsible for the formation of the posterior end of the body of reptiles, as well as for the appearance and development of the hind limbs. The mutation that occurred, as a result of which one of the genes disappeared completely, apparently led to the fact that the hind legs stopped developing normally, and the change in its two “neighbors” led to the complete disappearance of these limbs.
However, the question of the origin of snakes still remains one of the most mysterious in paleontology. Scientists believe that these reptiles originated about 150 million years ago from some group of lizards. It is still unclear what kind of group it was, as well as why the snakes became long and legless.
According to one point of view, the loss of limbs is associated with the transition to an aquatic lifestyle. Paws are not needed in water; it is much more advantageous to move there, bending the body like a snake. This version is confirmed by the fact that one of the ancient two-legged snakes, Pachyophis, was an aquatic animal.
The disadvantage of this version is the fact that among primitive snakes there are no ones that live exclusively in water; such appear only among advanced representatives of the group, for example, sea snakes ( Hydrophiinae). In addition, in the paleontological record, snakes are extremely rarely found in marine and freshwater deposits, which is quite strange, since the fauna in such burials is preserved several orders of magnitude better than in terrestrial ones, and they are found more often. Also against this version is the fact that, apart from the absence of limbs, primitive snakes have no other adaptations to life in water.
According to another hypothesis, the ancestors of snakes were burrowing lizards that lost their limbs due to the fact that underground they did more harm than good. This version is confirmed by the fact that primitive snakes from the group of blind snakes ( Typhlopidae) are truly underground animals. Apparently, fossils also led a burrowing lifestyle. Haasiophis And Eupodophis. It is also known that representatives of many groups of lizards, for example, skinks ( Scincidae), legless lizards ( Anniellidae), spindles ( Anguidae) or scalepods ( Pygopodidae), during the transition to a burrowing lifestyle, they also lost limbs (not a single case of loss of paws in aquatic lizards is known).
So, most likely, the ancestors of snakes really led a burrowing lifestyle. That is why they needed a long body (it is easier to squeeze through the ground). Also, in connection with this, they gradually lost the external openings of their ears (so that the ground would not become clogged), limbs and movable eyelids (there is no need for them underground, the eyes do not dry out in moist soil), and in return they acquired a transparent film formed from fused eyelids, protecting the eye (this is why it seems that the snake is hypnotizing us, its gaze is motionless).
For quite a long time, lizards from the group of monitor lizards were considered the ancestors of snakes ( Varanidae). These lizards, like snakes, have a long and mobile tongue, a highly developed Jacobson's organ responsible for chemoreception, an additional movable articulation of the branches of the lower jaw, as well as a vertebral structure similar to snakes. In addition, earless monitor lizards living in Indonesia ( Lanthanotidae), as their name suggests, like snakes, lack external ear openings. However, the details of the skull structure of monitor lizards and snakes are very different, and in addition, molecular DNA analysis shows that the two groups are very distant from each other. Also against this version is the fact that among the monitor lizards there are no (and, apparently, never have been) representatives who lead a completely underground lifestyle.
But with another group of modern lizards called geckos ( Gekkonidae), snakes have much more common structural features (read about who geckos are and what they are famous for in the article “Secrets of night climbers”). In particular, the skulls of snakes and geckos are completely devoid of temporal arches (formed by the zygomatic bones) and have a movable articulation of the lower jaw bones. The eyelids of many geckos, like those of snakes, are fused to form the transparent outer shell of the eye. And finally, among these lizards there are those who lead a burrowing lifestyle.
The most characteristic here are representatives of the subfamily Lepidopus, which was already mentioned above. Its representatives, living in Australia and New Guinea, have a snake-like elongated body and in appearance are extremely reminiscent of snakes. This similarity is also emphasized by the absence of the forelimbs and significant reduction of the hind limbs, which usually have the appearance of short scaly outgrowths sometimes ending in claws, as well as the absence of external openings of the ears. Of course, it is unlikely that scalepods were the direct ancestors of snakes, however, apparently, these are one of their closest relatives.
In addition, molecular research data also suggests that, in terms of DNA structure, the closest relatives of snakes are geckos.
According to these data, geckos and snakes separated from other squamates 180 million years ago, and the separation of these groups occurred a little later, approximately 150-165 million years ago. That is, approximately when, according to paleontologists, this group arose. So everything fits here too.
So, a new research technique has helped scientists fill a gap in the history of reptiles and solve one of the most intriguing mysteries of evolution. It should be noted that paleontologists generally have high hopes for this technique. It allows you to obtain images with a resolution of several microns - a thousand times less than what a hospital tomograph provides.
Ancient snakes and mother goddess
In ancient Mesopotamia, the Sumerians claimed to be constantly nourished by the milk of Ninhursag, the great mother goddess. She is also known as Ninlil, the wife of Enlil. They later became Adam and Eve and became known as the Shining Ones and the Serpents. Many scholars are convinced that Ninlil may have been a prototype of the mother goddess. She is known by the name Ki or Ninti/Nintu. This earthly snake-like goddess had two heads or two eyes, which shows her connection with Ashtoreth (Ashera), the Phoenician goddess of love, whose symbol is a two-headed snake. She merged with her daughter Anat and became the wife of Jehovah, like Matronit or Shechina. She was the goddess of health and fertility. She was worshiped by Sarah (Saraswati), the wife of Abraham (Brahma). To the Syrians she was known as Atargatis, the Siren, because she was represented waist-deep in water (at the gate to the other world). In Egypt, Ninhursag was called Isis, the ancestor of the messianic line, and in Greece - Demeter, the goddess of the other world. According to some sources, Ninhursag possessed the most powerful life force, which is revered as "starfire".
The fact that Isis and Ninhursag are the same two-headed snake goddess explains the existence of many images where she feeds the pharaohs, the children of the gods, with her sacred milk. None of these goddesses actually existed. They were anthropomorphic images of the Mother of the World, the great protector and guardian of the other world, who opened the gates to parallel worlds with the help of her inner strength - the power of the earth. Since she is always associated with snakes and the other world, she was the first image of a shaman, a female shaman capable of controlling the spirits of that world.
Tiamat was also in the form of a snake or Leviathan, who over time turned into many other snake-like gods and goddesses. The womb of Ninhursag represented the other world - a place that glowed like the Cosmos. As a “bearer of light” she is similar to Mary, the mother of Jesus. In Babylon, as we will see later, the gate to the sanctuary was represented as the entrance to the womb of the mother goddess, and the other world was often depicted as two pillars. These pillars symbolized duality and balance, and in order to pass through them, a sacred balance had to be established. Most often, snakes coiled around these pillars; they were crowned with a lotus flower - a symbol of illumination, from where the Indian Agni, the Shining One, appeared. Of course, this allows us to understand the meaning of the twin pillars of modern Masons. Therefore, the pillars, unlike the space between them, a secret place on Earth, are not of particular value.
In Hinduism, there are legends that the Shining Agni himself emerged from the eternal womb of the mother, and we have a beautiful image of the place where the glow comes from - the other world. This is not a place that we learn about after death, but something we can get to while in this world. This is what Jesus said.
Sumerian Shining An or Anu, whose symbol was the pillar (half of the dual image), the great god of the sacred city on the summit where the great, dazzling and powerful gods feasted. He was the inner sun and a true solar deity. His city was everywhere where the Sun rose. Emerging from the belly of a snake or the other world, Tiamat, like Agni, became the main motif of Indian myths. That is why it is a symbol of a place on earth from where entry into another world can be made. Its symbol is the inner sun with four rays - a cross, which became a prototype of the cross of the Christian anointed - Christ. The cross is an excellent means of fixing a location. This four-pointed symbol was known as Sarah, the wind coming from Ana/Anu, the Shining One or the sun. The wind was the breath of life, the word and symbol of late Christianity, the Holy Spirit, bringing wisdom, knowledge and power. The wind was feminine (this is another manifestation of the quantum wave particle, which allows us to look at the gate from a scientific point of view, as we will see later).
This solar city of An, the womb of Tiamat or the other world of the shaman, was the place from which water appeared, indicating a later connection between water and the serpent. The Ana Vase is the womb of the mother goddess, "the place from which the waters flow out, opening the womb." Note that here the waters open the gate to the other world. This fact will become of great importance in the later myths of the world.
Many other elements of the journey through the gate can be found in the image of this Sumerian Shining One. For example, An/Anu is depicted standing on a “brilliant mountain,” symbolizing the World Mother and the womb, or gateway to the other world. Subsequently, burial mounds around the world were associated with the snake and the other world. As a prototype of the horned gods of Europe and other territories, An/Anu was called “horned”, especially Osiris, the typical male shaman. In the Shatapatha-brahmana, a religious “Indian” text - as Christians called all pagan religions, from 300 AD. e., it turns out that the word “horn” means “the womb of primordium.” This is a symbol of Creation. You need to emit light in order to penetrate inside and stay there. It is therefore not surprising that these horns, especially the horns of the solar bull, were used as altars, and a solar halo was depicted above them. In fact, the earth itself is an altar (a subtle reference to the gates created throughout the world).
The same text says that “The horn of a black deer is the very belly. The priest touches him with his forehead, just above his right eyebrow,” saying: “You are the womb of Indra.” What is so important about this image of the black deer from time immemorial is that the color black is a symbol of emptiness; this can be seen in the example of the Black Madonna of medieval Europe.
In Indian mythology, tantric skull bowls contained the power of the inner gate, which radiated from the horns of the energy-charged skull. These skulls, together with other beliefs and myths, gave rise to the image of the Holy Grail. All of them symbolized the womb or other world of the mother goddess. But Chrétien de Troyes, the author of Percival, a wonderful legend from the Arthurian cycle, wrote that the Grail is like a cup symbolizes the womb of the goddess. Notice what he says like a bowl. That is why the Holy Grail, from a philosophical point of view, was represented by a cup or cup. This association is also supported by etymological and mythological connections. Therefore, it is not surprising that the skull-cup has always been associated with a snake. The skull is our cave, our gateway to other worlds.
Later in Christianity, these ideas take the form of a font, symbolizing the water-filled womb of the mother goddess, in which we die in order to be born again. It is said that Mary, the great mother goddess of Christianity, was "igne sacro inflammata", which means - impregnated by the sacred fire of a man, creating the desired divine union of the elements of Water (feminine/negative) and Fire (masculine/positive) - to support the earth's energies in balance and to enter through the gate. Therefore, it is not surprising that images of snakes, dragons and even bulls and horns are often found on European fonts. Under this layer of imagery we will see the feminine, lunar essence of horns entwined with a serpent (masculine principle) in many images of the Virgin Mary, especially in the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe (snakes entwined with an inverted crescent - the horned Moon). In all similar images that I managed to find, I noticed how luminous rays appeared from behind the back of Mary, standing in an oval frame Vesica Piscis almond shape created by the intersection of two circles. Vesica Piscis means "bladder of fish", which has been considered holy and a sacred symbol for thousands of years.
The union of the snake and the bull is more clearly manifested in the Greek myths about Ceres and Proserpine, which convey a huge secret: “Taurus Draconem genuit, et Taurum Draco” - “The bull gave birth to the snake, and the snakes - the bull.” This explains the sometimes confusing element of the masculine and feminine aspects of the bull and snake. For thousands of years, these two images have been associated with each other, resulting in frequent confusion between the gender designations of each symbol. Sometimes the bull is the solar creative principle, and sometimes the horns of the bull, depicted in the form of a crescent or an inverted Moon, symbolized the female image. At first the snake was the mother of creation, which was later hidden behind the dominance of the patriarchal in religion. The answer to these mysteries lies not only in the battle of the sexes for control of religion; it can be found in the unity of opposites necessary to pass through the gate to the other world. The answer is control of our own psychological opposites, opposing energies of the body and understanding the dual nature of earthly energies in certain positions. That is why from ancient times gods were goddesses or both. The point is to transform into bisexual creatures. Unite the powers of the mind; don't let them fight against each other. The snake and the bull are rightly represented together.
In Egypt, Sumeria and other places, the horns of the bull are extremely important. Just as the bull was originally a symbol of the sun, so An/Anu was the bull killed or tamed by the serpentine Gilgamesh, the prototype of myriad Jewish and Christian myths and the one who can control, gather together and keep in balance the earthly energies to enter the kingdom gods.
In the Sumerian hymn to Adar, "Already the Serpent," there is a remarkable reference to the bull being associated with a kind of ancient Grail:
(The men) proclaimed him their ruler (Adar [snake]).
On his head, like a large calm bull, the horns stood proudly.
Shu Stone, a valuable stone,
Strong stone, snake stone and mountain stone,
The warrior, or fire stone, is carried by the warrior to the cities.
All the elements needed to enter the other world are encoded in this one quote. People proclaimed the name of the Great Serpent, thus completing the internal process of gaining balance and energy. This causes the bull's horns to rise, which symbolizes the energetic process and insight. As a result, a durable stone or vessel is formed, providing access to the other world. This is reminiscent of the Stone of Destiny, which gave kings the ability to rule using the power of the other world. In other words, this stone is the original stone of the Holy Grail. The ruler (one who can rule) knew the time of year and day (with the help of the heavens) when it was possible to concentrate the energies of the Earth in a certain position.
The answer can also be found in the name of the heavenly bull - Taurus. Here we once again meet the unification of the “Luminous” entities - Tau and Ru(s). "Tau" is a cross or symbol of Tam-muse and many other solar and messianic deities. Also, "Tau" is the basis of the Egyptian symbol Ankh (a symbol of the wind or breath of life used by the gods and pharaohs). The wind again appears as if emerging from the cross of Ana/Anu, the Shining One. Ru in the form of an oval was placed above the cross - Tau. Ru was originally a snake eating its own tail, a symbol of eternity, immortality and, as Crichton Miller notes, the cycles of the heavens. This is the symbol of the gate, which has become the oval "bubble" of Christianity, in which Mary and Jesus are often depicted appearing in the rays of life.
Rice. 10. Jesus crucified on Calvary. Kikos Monastery (Cyprus).
In the myths and language of the Sumerians, “heart” and “womb” or “vulva” are denoted by the same word. An important concept was An Sa Ta, or “heart of An” - the center of being, the center of residence of An, the Shining One. There are also symbolic symbols of a stone or mountain, with the help of which it was believed that one could penetrate into the other world. There is no difference between this mountain and the mountain from which Mithras, who fought with the bull, was born; it represents the cave in which Jesus himself might have been born. The mountain as a guide to the discovery of real artifacts and sites used as gateways will become extremely important.
So, the other world is the womb of the great Mother Goddess (Earth), whose symbol was the snake. It is associated with the male creativity, embodied in the bull, or other image pointing to a specific place, which creates fertile ground for insight (trance) and passage through the gate. These beliefs can still be seen in the Holy Grail, the Communion Cup and the font.
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American scientists have established that millions of years ago a giant boa constrictor lived on Earth. This discovery allows us not only to learn more about the past, but perhaps also to look into the future.
About 58 million years ago, a snake of incredible size crawled out of the swampy South American jungle. This creature could terrify anyone.
Titanoboa model
The reptile weighed more than a ton and was 14 meters long. She could swallow a whole crocodile and not choke.
But until a few years ago, scientists had no idea about the existence of this fossil animal.
"Even in our wildest dreams, we could not imagine that we would find a 14-meter boa constrictor. The largest of the modern snakes is half that size," says Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and one of the authors of the discovery.
“We have discovered a lost world of giant reptiles: turtles the size of kitchen tables and the largest fossil crocodiles in the history of exploration,” says Jonathan Bloch, an expert in vertebrate evolution at the University of Florida.
Among the finds was a giant snake.
"After the extinction of the dinosaurs, this animal, Titanoboa, was the largest predator on Earth, and this continued for about 10 million years," explains Bloch. "It was a very large animal - no matter how you look at it."
In search of fossil skulls
However, to get a complete picture of what the prehistoric snake looked like, what it ate, and how it relates to the modern animal world, scientists needed to study the remains of the reptile's skull.
"After the dinosaurs went extinct 60 million years ago, the equator was much hotter than it is today. We think that's why reptiles grew to very large sizes" (Jonathan Bloch.)
Last year, a special research group was sent to Colombia to search for the Titanoboa skull, which, however, had little hope of success. The fact is that the bones of the snake skull are very fragile, and very few fossil skulls have survived to this day.
"Unlike our skulls, the bones in a snake's skull are not held together. They are held together by tissue," says Jason Head, a serpentologist at the University of Nebraska.
“When an animal dies, the connective tissues decompose and the individual bones usually disperse,” the scientist continues. “They are also very thin and fragile and often break down. But because Titanoboa was so large and had very large bones, this is one of the few snakes that we know from fossils."
To the amazement of the team, they were able to discover the remains of three skulls, with which they were able to completely reconstruct the skull of a giant reptile for the first time.
Thus, it was possible to better learn about how Titanoboa lived and looked like. A life-size replica of the snake is now on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in the United States. In 2013, the exhibit will go on tour across America.
The discovery of a new species of huge fossil snake helps scientists not only learn about the ancient animal world, but also gain new information about the history of the earth's climate. This means that fossils can tell us about the effects of current global warming.
Snakes are unable to regulate their temperature and depend on external heat to survive.
"Tropical plants and ecosystems can cope with high temperatures and high levels of carbon dioxide, another major problem associated with the current trend of global warming" (Carlos Jaramillo).
"We think Titanoboa got so big because after the dinosaurs went extinct 60 million years ago, it was much hotter at the equator than it is today. We think that's why reptiles grew to very large sizes."
Bloch notes that the ability of animals to survive in high temperatures may become relevant again if climate scientists' predictions regarding global warming come true.
The ability to thrive in warm climates could play an important role if global temperatures rise as climate scientists predict, Bloch added.
"This is evidence that ecosystems can develop at the temperatures expected for the next hundred or two hundred years," he said.
Return of Titanoboa?
However, the climate changes that led to the emergence of Titanoboa took place over millions of years. Scientists are less certain about the effects of sudden temperature changes.
"Biology is surprisingly adaptable. Changes in climate and living conditions on continents are the stimulus for evolution. But what happens very quickly can lead to changes that can hardly be assessed positively," says Bloch.
During the period of existence of the Querrejon rainforests, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 50% higher than today.
"The Caerrejon fossils taught us an important lesson: we learned that tropical plants and ecosystems can cope with high temperatures and high levels of carbon dioxide, another major problem associated with the current trend of global warming," says Carlos Jaramillo.
“Plants and animals in the tropics may already have the genetic ability to cope with global warming,” the researcher believes.
Does this mean the giant snake Titanoboa could be back?
"As temperatures rise, there's a chance they'll come back," Jaramillo says. – It takes geological time of the order of a million years for a new species of animal to appear. But they can come back!"
Based on materialsRecently, paleontologists, using the latest technology, discovered a snake in sediments that are 95 million years old. Yes, not just a snake, but with... hind legs. This discovery made it possible to establish the ancestor of snakes, as well as to find out how these reptiles lost their legs in the process of evolution, which has until now been one of the mysteries of paleontology.
These fossils, which are 95 million years old, were found back in 2000 in the Lebanese village of Al-Nammoura. The remains belonged to a snake Eupodophis descouensi. This reptile reached 50 centimeters in length. The recovered remains were transferred to the Natural History Museum (Paris) for further research.
And recently, a group of scientists led by Dr. Alexandra Housse, using X-rays, carried out a layer-by-layer scan of the sample and, based on its results, built a computer model of the object being studied in 3D format. It turned out that this snake had hind limbs, although very reduced.
The image clearly shows that the internal structure of the paw bones of ancient snakes is largely reminiscent of the structure of the legs of modern land lizards. True, thighs and legs Eupodophis descouensi very shortened, there are also ankle bones, but the foot and fingers are no longer there. Moreover, only one leg of the exhibit remained free, and the second was hidden in the stone, but an X-ray examination was able to show scientists that too. Since both legs are constructed in the same way, we can safely assume that the absence of some parts of the limb is not the result of injury or deformity, but an indicator of the beginning of the reduction of legs in snake ancestors.
"Discovery of the internal structure of the hind limbs Eupodophis allows us to study the process of limb regression during the evolution of snakes. Currently, there are only three fossil snakes with preserved hind limbs and lost forelimbs. They belong to three different groups - these are Haasiophis,Pachyophis And Eupodophis. Other known fossil groups of snakes do not have limbs preserved. However, based on their anatomical structure, it is believed that they did have limbs, but then disappeared.
Now we can even say how such a reduction most likely occurred. These studies show that the loss of limbs by snake ancestors is not the result of some anatomical changes in bone structure, but was most likely associated with a shortening of the growth period. Due to some genetic changes, the paws did not have time to fully form in the embryonic period, so the snakes were born with slightly “unfinished” legs,” says the team leader, paleontologist Alexandra Usse.
By the way, this version is confirmed by research by domestic embryologists. Not long ago, while studying the so-called Hox genes (these are genes responsible for the formation of the body of the embryo in the early stages of development) of snakes and lizards, scientists discovered that the latter lack the Hox-12a gene, and that Hox-13a and Hox- 13b. It is known that these genes are responsible for the formation of the posterior end of the body of reptiles, as well as for the appearance and development of the hind limbs. The mutation that occurred, as a result of which one of the genes disappeared completely, apparently led to the fact that the hind legs stopped developing normally, and the change in its two “neighbors” led to the complete disappearance of these limbs.
However, the question of the origin of snakes still remains one of the most mysterious in paleontology. Scientists believe that these reptiles originated about 150 million years ago from some group of lizards. It is still unclear what kind of group it was, as well as why the snakes became long and legless.
According to one point of view, the loss of limbs is associated with the transition to an aquatic lifestyle. Paws are not needed in water; it is much more advantageous to move there, bending the body like a snake. This version is confirmed by the fact that one of the ancient two-legged snakes, Pachyophis, was an aquatic animal.
The disadvantage of this version is the fact that among primitive snakes there are no ones that live exclusively in water; such appear only among advanced representatives of the group, for example, sea snakes ( Hydrophiinae). In addition, in the paleontological record, snakes are extremely rarely found in marine and freshwater deposits, which is quite strange, since the fauna in such burials is preserved several orders of magnitude better than in terrestrial ones, and they are found more often. Also against this version is the fact that, apart from the absence of limbs, primitive snakes have no other adaptations to life in water.
According to another hypothesis, the ancestors of snakes were burrowing lizards that lost their limbs due to the fact that underground they did more harm than good. This version is confirmed by the fact that primitive snakes from the group of blind snakes ( Typhlopidae) are truly underground animals. Apparently, fossils also led a burrowing lifestyle. Haasiophis And Eupodophis. It is also known that representatives of many groups of lizards, for example, skinks ( Scincidae), legless lizards ( Anniellidae), spindles ( Anguidae) or scalepods ( Pygopodidae), during the transition to a burrowing lifestyle, they also lost limbs (not a single case of loss of paws in aquatic lizards is known).
So, most likely, the ancestors of snakes really led a burrowing lifestyle. That is why they needed a long body (it is easier to squeeze through the ground). Also, in connection with this, they gradually lost the external openings of their ears (so that the ground would not become clogged), limbs and movable eyelids (there is no need for them underground, the eyes do not dry out in moist soil), and in return they acquired a transparent film formed from fused eyelids, protecting the eye (this is why it seems that the snake is hypnotizing us, its gaze is motionless).
For quite a long time, lizards from the group of monitor lizards were considered the ancestors of snakes ( Varanidae). These lizards, like snakes, have a long and mobile tongue, a highly developed Jacobson's organ responsible for chemoreception, an additional movable articulation of the branches of the lower jaw, as well as a vertebral structure similar to snakes. In addition, earless monitor lizards living in Indonesia ( Lanthanotidae), as their name suggests, like snakes, lack external ear openings. However, the details of the skull structure of monitor lizards and snakes are very different, and in addition, molecular DNA analysis shows that the two groups are very distant from each other. Also against this version is the fact that among the monitor lizards there are no (and, apparently, never have been) representatives who lead a completely underground lifestyle.
But with another group of modern lizards called geckos ( Gekkonidae), snakes have much more common structural features (read about who geckos are and what they are famous for in the article “Secrets of night climbers”). In particular, the skulls of snakes and geckos are completely devoid of temporal arches (formed by the zygomatic bones) and have a movable articulation of the lower jaw bones. The eyelids of many geckos, like those of snakes, are fused to form the transparent outer shell of the eye. And finally, among these lizards there are those who lead a burrowing lifestyle.
The most characteristic here are representatives of the subfamily Lepidopus, which was already mentioned above. Its representatives, living in Australia and New Guinea, have a snake-like elongated body and in appearance are extremely reminiscent of snakes. This similarity is also emphasized by the absence of the forelimbs and significant reduction of the hind limbs, which usually have the appearance of short scaly outgrowths sometimes ending in claws, as well as the absence of external openings of the ears. Of course, it is unlikely that scalepods were the direct ancestors of snakes, however, apparently, these are one of their closest relatives.
In addition, molecular research data also suggests that, in terms of DNA structure, the closest relatives of snakes are geckos.
According to these data, geckos and snakes separated from other squamates 180 million years ago, and the separation of these groups occurred a little later, approximately 150-165 million years ago. That is, approximately when, according to paleontologists, this group arose. So everything fits here too.
So, a new research technique has helped scientists fill a gap in the history of reptiles and solve one of the most intriguing mysteries of evolution. It should be noted that paleontologists generally have high hopes for this technique. It allows you to obtain images with a resolution of several microns - a thousand times less than what a hospital tomograph provides.
Until now, scientists attributed the earliest fossil snakes to the Upper Cretaceous period, that is, the age of the postures was about 100 million years. But this bar haunted paleontologists. Analysis of the evolutionary relationships of species (phylogenetics) and the structure of the skeletons of individual representatives indicate a fairly large species diversity of ancient snakes, which means that they should have appeared on the planet much earlier.
Reconstruction of fossil snakes. Left - Portugalophis lignites from Portugal, right - Colorado Diablophis gilmorei
(illustration by Julius Csotonyi).
To clarify the situation, an international team of researchers turned to museum boxes that stored fragmentary specimens of fossil reptiles collected decades ago. Scientists have re-determined the age of four snakes. They had at their disposal fragments of teeth, skulls and jaws from all specimens, as well as vertebral bones for two of them.
It was possible to classify these animals as snakes due to the fact that all specimens had a characteristic head structure (inwardly curved teeth, flattened skull, etc.), very close to modern representatives of the Serpentes suborder.
As part of their research, the scientists turned first to a fossil snake of the species Eophis underwoodi from southern England. This specimen probably lived in a swamp or marshy area and was small in size, which is why it is generally considered to be an immature specimen. According to new data published in a paper in the journal Nature Communications, the fossil is about 167 million years old.
The youngest specimen to date, Parviraptor estesi, also found in England, most likely lived in the lake and was dated to 143 million years ago.
The third snake, a species called Diablophis gilmorei, native to Western Colorado, may have been a river dweller about 155 million years ago. The largest specimen of the quartet, Portugalophis lignites, which lived in prehistoric times in what is now Portugal, has also been dated to 155 million years ago. However, the habitat of this snake is considered to be a prehistoric swamp.
The collected data forced paleontologists to push back the boundary of the appearance of snakes on our planet by 70 million years ago. It is likely that these reptiles harassed early dinosaurs, swallowed their eggs or even hunted their young.
But the researchers' work did not end there. The described fossil snakes inhabited completely different territories in different parts of the planet and, of course, differed significantly in appearance.
“Our study aims to prove that the evolution of snakes was a much more complex process than previously thought,” explains one of the authors, Professor Michael Caldwell from the University of Alberta (Canada).
In their paper, the paleontologists compare their findings with descriptions of sea snake fossils discovered in Lebanon, the West Bank and Argentina. These specimens are approximately 100-90 million years old and still had small but well-developed hind limbs.
In addition, scientists compared their fossil snakes with modern legless lizards. Based on this analysis, paleontologists have put forward a new theory that during the course of evolution, snakes acquired their characteristic skull much earlier than they completely lost their legs.
In a press release from the university, the researchers emphasize that experts do not yet know the fossil snakes that inhabited our planet between 143 and 100 million years ago, but this does not mean that they temporarily disappeared somewhere, just that paleontologists have not yet found or identified them.
In any case, new information and the theory put forward force specialists to significantly reconsider the evolution of not only snakes, but probably also some other reptiles.