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

Snakes possess a derived anatomy, characterized by limb reduction and reorganization of
the skull and internal organs. To understand the origin of snakes from an ontogenetic point …

Factors intrinsic and extrinsic to organisms dictate the course of morphological evolution but
are seldom considered together in comparative analyses. Among vertebrates, squamates …

Snakes are a highly successful group of vertebrates, within great diversity in habitat, diet,
and morphology. The unique adaptations for the snake skull for ingesting large prey in more …

Morphological variation among the viviparous sea snakes (Hydrophiinae), a clade of fully
aquatic elapid snakes, includes an extreme “microcephalic” ecomorph that has a very small …

Snakes represent one of the most dramatic examples of the evolutionary versatility of the
vertebrate body plan, including body elongation, limb loss, and skull kinesis. However …

Snakes and lizards (Squamata) represent a third of terrestrial vertebrates and exhibit
spectacular innovations in locomotion, feeding, and sensory processing. However, the …

Viviparous sea snakes are the most rapidly speciating reptiles known, yet the ecological
factors underlying this radiation are poorly understood. Here, we reconstructed dated trees …

Evolutionary trajectories are often biased by developmental and historical factors. However,
environmental factors can also impose constraints on the evolutionary trajectories of …