Ancient serpent shows its leg
By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News
The fossil snake with two legs
What was lost tens of millions of years ago is now found.
A fossil animal locked in Lebanese limestone has been shown to be an extremely precious discovery - a snake with two legs.
Scientists have only a handful of specimens that illustrate the evolutionary narrative that goes from ancient lizard to limbless modern serpent.
Researchers at the European Light Source (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, used intense X-rays to confirm that a creature imprinted on a rock, and with one visible leg, had another appendage buried just under the surface of the slab.
"We were sure he had two legs but it was great to see it, and we hope to find other characteristics that we couldn't see on the other limb," said Alexandra Houssaye from the National Museum of Natural History, Paris.
The 85cm-long (33in) creature, known as Eupodophis descouensi, comes from the Late Cretaceous, about 92 million years ago.
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A portion of the vertebral column is missing; and in the process of preservation, the "tail" has become detached and positioned near the head.
But it is the unmistakable leg bones - fibula, tibia and femur - that catch the eye. The stumpy hind-limb is only 2cm (0.8in) long, and was presumably utterly useless to the animal in life.
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"We can even see ankle bones," ESRF's resident palaeontologist Paul Tafforeau said.
"In most cases, we can't find digits; but that may be because they are not preserved or because, as this is a vestigial leg, they were never present."
To modern eyes, it may seem strange to think of a snake with legs.
But look at some of the more primitive modern snakes, such as boas and pythons, and you'll see evidence of their legged ancestry - tiny "spurs" sited near their ends, which today are used as grippers during sex.
BBC
Ancient serpent shows its leg
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Doug
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The fundies will say that this proves the truth of the Genesis story in which the serpent is punished by having to crawl on the ground. This implies that it was not originally crawling on the ground and that it had legs. So most fundies interpret the Genesis story as stating that snakes used to have legs.
Of course, the Genesis story also says that serpents will eat dust for sustenance. We don't need to look at fossils to know that snakes don't eat dust.
Of course, the Genesis story also says that serpents will eat dust for sustenance. We don't need to look at fossils to know that snakes don't eat dust.