How Many Legs does a Snake Have

Introduction

One of the most fabled animals on earth is the snake. Snakes appear in creation tales from all around the world, and people are generally scared of them. But something about these scaly creatures intrigues me so much. A snake that loses its legs in one creation myth is compelled to crawl for the rest of time. Rather than the creation story, we will look at the concept of snakes having legs today. Snakes have legs, right? Let's research this together!

Over 3,000 different species of snake are known to exist today. Snakes have figured out how to construct their homes in all environments except the polar ones. Although there aren't many characteristics that all snakes share, there are a few traits that scientists have developed to help better categorise them.

Why do pythons and boas have vestigial legs?

Although snakes nowadays don't have legs, we can observe that a few million years ago, they did! Even though evolution is a gradual process, some kinds of snakes still have traces of legs.

Large constricting snakes of both the python and boa varieties have existed for a very long time. In fact, many researchers consider them to be among the "basal species" of contemporary snakes. Simply put, a "basal" organism is the oldest species that most likely led to the emergence of other species.

The modifications that occurred recently can still be seen in some of the earliest snakes on the timeline, at least with respect to how long they have existed. The distinctive legs that only boas and pythons have are one of the most obvious examples of this. An organ that is the relic of an evolutionary past but has little practical utility now is said to be a vestigial organ. The appendix and wisdom teeth are two examples of vestigial remnants in humans.

Two tiny bones from the back legs of pythons and boas are buried in muscles at the base of their tails. They are obviously the skeletal remains of long-gone ancient legs and currently have little use. However, pythons and boas appear to utilize these tiny spikes to facilitate mating processes and improve their grip on tree branches.

How long ago did snakes lose their legs?

The most accurate scientific estimations place the time of snake leg amputation around 150 million years ago. These estimations are aided by ancient fossils, although there is some room for error regarding the precise timing of events. The Nagash rionegrina specimen is the most recent fossil of a snake with legs (the Hebrew word for snake). The first terrestrial snake species with strong hind legs was the Nagash.

Conclusion

For an animal to be classified as a snake, a member of the suborder Serpentes (snakes), it must have one functioning lung, a long body, no limbs, a voice, external ears, or eyelids. In short, snakes don't have legs. It's one of the characteristics that makes a snake a snake, in fact!