The ecological origins of snakes as revealed by skull evolution

HIGHLIGHTS

• who: Filipe O. Da Silva from the University of have published the research: The ecological origins of snakes as revealed by skull evolution, in the Journal: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS NATURE COMMUNICATIONS of August/15,/2016
• what: The authors demonstrate that the unique skull features of modern snakes later evolved by peramorphosis through global acceleration in the rate of craniofacial development during embryogenesis. The authors show that natural selection frequently drove size and shape evolution toward small, encased, and inflexible skulls adapted to a fossorial environment, in accordance with functional hypotheses favoring a fossorial snake ancestor15- 18 . . .
  

   

  

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