IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v473y2011i7347d10.1038_nature09919.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Eocene lizard from Germany reveals amphisbaenian origins

Author

Listed:
  • Johannes Müller

    (Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany)

  • Christy A. Hipsley

    (Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
    Earth and Marine Sciences Building, University of California)

  • Jason J. Head

    (University of Toronto, Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga, Ontario L5L 1C6, Canada)

  • Nikolay Kardjilov

    (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany)

  • André Hilger

    (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany)

  • Michael Wuttke

    (Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe RLP, Direktion Landesarchäologie, Referat Erdgeschichte, Große Langgasse 29, 55116 Mainz, Germany)

  • Robert R. Reisz

    (University of Toronto, Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga, Ontario L5L 1C6, Canada)

Abstract

Two ways to get legless The evolutionary origins of the Amphisbaenia, a group of legless lizards adapted for burrowing, are controversial. Molecular evidence has placed them within lacertid lizards, whereas morphological evidence tends to unite them with snakes, with inheritance of the limbless, elongate body from a common ancestor. The discovery of a fossil limbed lizard from the famous Eocene Messel shales in Germany should settle the question. The new form seems to combine features of lacertids with those of amphisbaenians, supporting the first hypothesis and suggesting that limblessness in amphisbaenians evolved independently from that in snakes.

Suggested Citation

  • Johannes Müller & Christy A. Hipsley & Jason J. Head & Nikolay Kardjilov & André Hilger & Michael Wuttke & Robert R. Reisz, 2011. "Eocene lizard from Germany reveals amphisbaenian origins," Nature, Nature, vol. 473(7347), pages 364-367, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:473:y:2011:i:7347:d:10.1038_nature09919
    DOI: 10.1038/nature09919
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09919
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/nature09919?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:473:y:2011:i:7347:d:10.1038_nature09919. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.