The Origin of Snakes

This book presents perspectives on the past and present state of the understanding of snake origins. It reviews and critiques data and ideas from paleontology and neontology (herpetology), as well as ideas from morphological and molecular phylogenetics. The author reviews the anatomy and morphology of extant snakes. Methods are also critiqued, including those empirical and theoretical methods employed to hypothesize ancestral ecologies for snakes. The modern debate on squamate phylogeny and snake ingroup phylogeny using molecules and morphology is examined critically to provide insights on origins and evolution. Key FeaturesImportant major evolutionary transformation in vertebrate evolutionContinuing historical debate in vertebrate paleontologyOf wide interest to a core audience of paleontologists, herpetologists, and morphologistsAuthor acknowledged as prominent contributor to debate over snake originsBased on remarkable well preserved fossil specimens