How Did Some Reptiles Lose Their Limbs to Become Snakes? An 80-Million-Year-Old Fossil Helps Uncover the Winding Evolutionary History
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/a8/75/a8750528-3834-4daa-b72a-b43b9addc1bf/snake-main.png)
An 80-million-year-old fossil helps researchers understand how some reptiles lost their limbs to become snakes.
Reported by 1 outlet — Smithsonian. See all sources ↓
Snakes are long and flexible. They do not have limbs. A very old fossil helps scientists understand how snakes lost their limbs.
Why it matters
This discovery helps us understand how life on Earth changed over time. It also shows how animals adapt to their environments.
- What is the age of the fossil?
- The fossil is 80 million years old.
- What do scientists think about snakes?
- Scientists think that snakes are highly modified lizards.
- When did the first snakes live?
- The first snakes lived during the age of dinosaurs.
How outlets are framing the same story
These are the main editorial angles found across reporting. Use them to quickly compare what different outlets emphasize, omit, or question.
The outlets frame the story as a scientific discovery that helps us understand the evolution of snakes. They all focus on the fossil and its significance.
- Coverage cardFraming signal1AngleScouting report
Snakes are highly modified lizards.
Sources1TypeAngleSmithsonianemphasizes the evolutionary connection
- Coverage cardFraming signal2AngleScouting report
The age of dinosaurs is a key time period in the evolution of snakes.
Sources1TypeAngle