[Non-Ceph] Bits 'n Pieces

cuttlegirl said:
I am not sure how having a sacrum proves that they evolved on land. Didn't the ancestor of whales (some cow/pig thing) return to the sea?
Click to expand...

Yup, and this suggests plesiosaurs had sacra (sacrums?) too... maybe there's something about the geometry that shows it supported weight on its feet? Dunno... good questions. I didn't try to look up the actual paper...
 
My understanding is that the environment in which the animal lived is thought to be terrestrial. Don't ask me 'bout no taphonomy, though. The sacrum shows that it is an early snake, supposedly earlier than all the other sacrum-less fossils. I should probably skim the piece in Nature...
 

Attachments

  • conv_289044.jpg
    conv_289044.jpg
    34.6 KB · Views: 130
Originally posted in Nature
So, if the earliest known snake lived on land, that suggests snakes evolved on land, Zaher said.
Click to expand...

I think I understand now. Since they found this "oldest snake" fossil and it was discovered in a terrestrial environment, then snakes must have started out on land. What happens when they find an older sea-based snake fossil in the future?

This link discusses vistigial legs in whale fossils. This seems kind of analagous to the sacrum in snakes (at least in MY mind:hmm: ).

When Whales Had Legs
 
Oh dear.

This thread was supposed to be semi-serious. Oh well, when in Rome.

A one-off mind.
 

Attachments

  • conv_289202.jpg
    conv_289202.jpg
    26.1 KB · Views: 127

Similar threads

Wolfgang_Slany
    • Like
    • OctoLove
Octopus vulgaris cognitive expriment tank in Austria (Europe)
Replies
14
Views
360
tonmo
tonmo
octopolis_comic
    • Like
I’ve been working on a graphic novel about a society of intelligent octopus. Welcome to Octopolis!
Replies
0
Views
8
octopolis_comic
octopolis_comic
DHF8
    • Love
  • Article
A Contemporary Ceph-TV Seed List
Replies
5
Views
2K
tonmo
tonmo
tonmo
Letters to the Editor (2000)
Replies
0
Views
349
tonmo
tonmo
ACC4
    • Like
[Octopus]: O. Minor?
Replies
8
Views
1K
ACC4
ACC4

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top