Lapochka

One fine day of 2012, the British Paleobiologist, a teacher at the University of Portusmut, David M. Martill) brought his students to the museum of the burgomaster of Müller in Zolnhofen (Germany) to show them the remnants of archaeopterix. The museum hosted an exhibition of finds from Brazil, and Martil, a petrentences of the Cretaceous period from the Brazilian formation of Krato, saw a laminated limestone in the frame, and in it under the label “unknown fossil” - a long body about 10 cm long with four tiny legs (Fig. 1). A four -legged snake! David Martil investigated this amazing find, together with a phylogenetic at Bat University, Nicholas R. Longrich [1] .

The ancestors of the snakes were scaly reptiles with four limbs, this does not cause doubt. However, experts cannot come to an agreement on what circumstances the snakes acquired such a long thin body and lost their legs. According to one of the hypotheses, the ancestors of the serpent led to a grumbling lifestyle, but other systematists are convinced that the first snakes were aquatic animals and were closely related to the mosa -mosa -namesakes. Each side has its own arguments, and the debate has been going on for quite some time, including due to the lack of material for research: the bones of the snakes are fragile and are poorly preserved. But the skeleton discovered by D. Martil, apparently, is full, the bones lie in order. The age of finds is about 113–126 million years.

This creature, according to researchers, is a transitional form between the lizard and the snake, the first known protrime with four limbs. He has a lot of truly snake features, including the only row of abdominal scales, curved teeth and, of course, a long body with 160 docks (snakes should have more than 150) and a tail, which is shorter than the body - it has 112 vertebrae. Researchers called this animal Tetrapodophis amplectus . The generic name in Greek means “four-legged snake”, and the species translates from Latin as “hugging”. Scientists believe that tetrapodophys, thanks to the many vertebrae, was very flexible, could put the body into the hinges and wrapped his victim, as shown in Figure 2. Obviously, the animal moved like a male, but still retained small cloves with five long thin fingers, the last finger is long andhened (Fig. 3). The structure of the limbs suggests that they were not useless rudimentary appendages-the snake used them for something. For digging, these paws are too delicate, although the proportions of the skull and body, as well as the structural features of the vertebrae, indicate, according to the researchers, about a swarming lifestyle. Most likely, with long fingers, the animal held the prey or partner during mating.

Now about prey. All snakes are predators, but some species feed on vertebrates, while others - insects. The experts were not sure of what type of nutrition was primary, but Tetrapodopis has sharp bent carnivorous teeth. Thanks to the moving compounds of the bones of the lower jaw, the snake could widely open the mouth and swallow relatively large prey.

In the stomach of tetrapodopis, bones were found-before his death, he bit with some small vertebrates. Other well -known early snakes also have fang -shaped teeth and stretching jaws, and this is an argument in favor of the fact that at the dawn of their history they hunted vertebrates, and insectivation later acquisition. Researchers suggested that an increased number of vertebrae and the flexibility of the ridge can be an adaptation to the hunt: snakes strangled their prey.

Fossibility sheds light on the geographical origin of the snakes. Judging by the places of finds, there were two possible centers of origin: laurelia (modern Middle East, North Africa and Southern Europe) and Gondwan (South America). Tetrapodophys is much closer to the snake Fauna Gondwana than to Lavrazian, so it is Gondwan David Martil who considers the center of the origin of the snakes.

So, the first snakes were terrestrial animals, most likely grumbling, and ate the vertebrates, which, perhaps, strangled. It is not surprising that supporters of the marine origin of the snake met this find skeptical. According to D. Martil, tetrapodopis is devoid of water traits: his tail is round, not flattened from the sides, and there is no thickening of the bones characteristic of water animals. Its opponents say that they would like to verify this personally, to see the bones, and not their photos. According to one of the supporters of the water hypothesis, the associate professor of the University of Adelaide Michael Lee (Michael Lee), the limbs of tetrapodopis resemble the oar, and the fingers are so even that they could combine the fin. In the hind limbs of the four -legged snakes, two bones were merged, which are separated and united in most of the lizards only in the mosaurians. These facts, as well as the fact that the bones lay at the bottom of the then shallow sea, allow, if desired, the tetrapodopis of the water snake is considered. According to Michael Lee, he was definitely not. And here we approach another problem that overshadows the joy of the find. The fact is that its origin is unknown. David Martil, focusing on some characteristics of limestone and orange-brown bones, believes that this is a find from the formation of Krato, rocks that were deposited at the beginning of the Cretaceous period at the bottom of a calm lake or lagoon. But in reality, no one knows who, when and where he found these bones. According to Martil, before getting to the exhibition, they have been in a private collection for several decades. Since 1942, it is forbidden to export fossils from Brazil, and tetrapodophys, most likely, got into Europe illegally. Many scientists are outraged by the fact that such a prestigious magazine as Science publishes an article based on the study of an illegal model, the requirements are heard to return the bones to Brazil.

Martil himself says that he found a sample in the museum collection and the honor of the discovery belongs to him. In an interview with the Brazilian journalist Herton Escobar, he stated that he did not give a damn about the origin of the bones and the legality of the find has nothing to do with its scientific significance. According to the scientist, laws that limit the collection of fossils interfere with the development of paleontology and lead to xenophobia: Brazilian fossils - for Brazilians, British - for the British. Fossils should be available to everyone, since during their formation no countries exist yet. When asked if he plans to cooperate with Brazilian scientists, Martil replied that he did not see the point in this. That way he, good, will be offered to take the Black’s team, cripple, a woman, and possibly a homosexual to a heap. Martil believes that it is time to leave at rest of the legality of the remnants of tetrapodopis, their study is a much more exciting activity.

1. Martill DM, Tischlinger H., Longrich NR A Four-Legged Snake From The Early Cretaceous of Gondwana // Science. 2015. 349. P. 416–419. Doi: 10.1126/Science.aaa9208