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| Leglessness; Why and how things loose legs | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 23 2010, 04:39 PM (482 Views) | |
| ItHasTeeth | Jan 23 2010, 04:39 PM Post #1 |
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Megaposter
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I'm curious if anyone can help shed some light (or give me something I don't know) about why and how various groups of animals have lost their limbs. The best examples I know of are caecilians, amphisbaenians, and snakes (the later having what I believe to have been an aquatic ancestry while the other two are fossorial). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caecilian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphisbaenia There's also some legless lizards, but I believe they're fossorial too... Are there any I've missed? Does anyone know anything useful about these. Why is a loss of limbs so... (for lack of better a word) popular? |
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| Kamidio | Jan 23 2010, 05:45 PM Post #2 |
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The Game Master of the SSU:NC
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Snakes lost their legs as they got in the way of burrowing. Snakes didn't lose their legs in the water. |
SSU:NC - Finding a new home. Quotes WAA
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| Temporary | Jan 23 2010, 05:47 PM Post #3 |
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Transhuman
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Here's the best of my knowledge: All three evolved subterranean, and in the cramp areas, undulation or some other legs form of movement was more efficent for a few reasons. 1. Conserves space. 2. Conserves energy (which, without the sun, is always a problem) Now then, in these conditions the leg slowly faded away. The Mole snake (seen here) shows the step in between. |
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| Carlos | Jan 23 2010, 05:52 PM Post #4 |
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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They lost all limbs because a limbless, eel like body plan is the most efficient to dig underground for an animal with a spine like that of amphibians and reptiles; on the other hand, a mole like body design is more efficient for mammals and animals with an inflexible spine, like in turtles |
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Lemuria: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/ Terra Alternativa: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/ My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Carliro ![]() | |
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| The Dodo | Jan 23 2010, 05:57 PM Post #5 |
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Prime Specimen
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There might of been a limbless mammal. http://eobasileus.blogspot.com/2008/04/proterix-pushing-hedgehogs-to-limits.html Although it might of just had poorly preserved limbs. |
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| ItHasTeeth | Jan 23 2010, 07:16 PM Post #6 |
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Megaposter
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Hmmmm.... I might be hesitant to accept that one until more work has been done. Information on the animal is greatly lacking and so far I've found that there have really only been three specimens found of P. loomisi (http://flatpebble.nceas.ucsb.edu/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=basicTaxonInfo&taxon_no=50946) and two of P. bicuspis (http://flatpebble.nceas.ucsb.edu/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=basicTaxonInfo&taxon_no=50945).
Actually, looking it to it, it sounds like it hasn't been resolved which it was. Edited by ItHasTeeth, Jan 23 2010, 07:22 PM.
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| Carlos | Jan 23 2010, 07:51 PM Post #7 |
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Adveho in me Lucifero
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Though it makes more sense if they lost the legs as borrowing forms, since their style of swimming is improved with limbs (ence why ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs conserved the four flippers instead of loosing the hind ones as in sea mammals) |
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Lemuria: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/ Terra Alternativa: http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/ My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Carliro ![]() | |
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3:28 AM Jul 11