Background The highly derived morphology and astounding diversity of snakes has long
inspired debate regarding the ecological and evolutionary origin of both the snake total …

Bayesian divergence time analyses were used to simultaneously infer the phylogenetic
relationships and date the major clades of snakes including several important fossils that …

The previous oldest known fossil snakes date from~ 100 million year old sediments (Upper
Cretaceous) and are both morphologically and phylogenetically diverse, indicating that …

The ecological origin of snakes remains amongst the most controversial topics in evolution,
with three competing hypotheses: fossorial; marine; or terrestrial. Here we use a geometric …

Background With over 3,500 species encompassing a diverse range of morphologies and
ecologies, snakes make up 36% of squamate diversity. Despite several attempts at …

Snakes are one of the most extraordinary groups of terrestrial vertebrates, with numerous
specializations distinguishing them from other squamates (lizards and their allies). Their …

Public databases in taxonomy, phylogenetics and geographic and fossil occurrence records
are key research tools that provide raw materials, on which broad-scale analyses and …

Snakes possess a dense fossil record through the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic and are
an important clade for studies of molecular phylogenetics. The use of the snake fossil record …

Mass extinctions have repeatedly shaped global biodiversity. The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-
Pg) mass extinction caused the demise of numerous vertebrate groups, and its aftermath …

Molecular data offer great potential to resolve the phylogeny of living taxa but can molecular
data improve our understanding of relationships of fossil taxa? Simulations suggest that this …