A very unusual fossil published in Science magazine in 2015 caused an earthquake in the world of paleontology. The 110-million-year-old fossil found in Brazil showed a snake with a long curved spine and surprising legs. This creature has been claimed to be the missing link between snakes and lizards, but a new study aims to disprove that theory.
“There are many evolutionary questions that can be answered by finding a four-legged snake fossil, but that is only true if this fossil is real. Our team’s research shows that Tetrapodophis amplectus was not actually a snake and was misclassified,” says paleontologist Michael Caldwell.
The reason the fossil is misleading is in part because of the way it was separated from the rock when it was discovered. The skeleton and skull were in one piece, the traces of these organs were left in the other. “The original work only described the skull and did not consider the other fragment. But looking at the trace on the other fragment, we see several features that make it clear that Tetrapodophis did not have the skull of a snake, or even a primitive skull,” says Caldwell.
The University of Alberta described the fossil as a “controversial specimen.” Even if it’s not a snake, it’s still thought that more work needs to be done on it. The article highlights how unusual Tetrapodophis amplectus is, describing it as “A unique lizard species. It has a fascinating morphology not seen in other lizards.”
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