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cover of episode Why did snakes lose their legs?

Why did snakes lose their legs?

2025/5/30
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Moment of Um
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Anna G
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Emily Taylor
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Anna G: 我经常因为笨拙而摔倒，所以有时会想，如果没有腿是不是会更方便。我了解到蛇的祖先曾经是有腿的，因此我很好奇它们为什么会进化成没有腿的样子。是因为它们像我一样笨拙吗？还是有其他的原因？ Emily Taylor: 蛇的祖先确实有腿，但经过数百万年的进化，它们失去了腿，这是为了更有效地在地下洞穴中移动。蛇与蜥蜴有共同的祖先，蛇的其中一个分支在进化过程中失去了腿。蛇类没有腿，身体细长，这使得它们在地下移动时比蜥蜴更有效率，消耗的能量也更少。有些在地下移动的蜥蜴也有小小的腿，这表明它们可能也在进化失去腿的过程中。

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Happy Snake Week! Every episode this week explores a different question about our slithery friends. Here’s a mind blower for you: did you know the ancestors of snakes used to have legs?   Somewhere along the zigzag path of evolution, they traded in their lizardy legs for a more streamlined look. But why did snakes go legless? We asked biologist and snake researcher Emily Taylor to help us find the answer.

Got a question that’s *snaking around *your brain? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact), and we’ll find a *fangtastic *answer!