Mexican burrowing caecilian (Dermophis mexicanus)
Shutterstock/reptiles4all
Worm-like amphibians known as caecilians may have lost their legs thanks to the same genetic tweaks that snakes have.
An analysis of the amphibians’ genomes suggests that caecilians and snakes – separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution – converged on the same mutations when ditching their limbs. The findings provide insights into the genetic underpinnings of the evolution of limblessness.
The 200-some species of caecilian are totally limbless, and live secretive lives in tropical soils or waterways. They have small or nonexistent eyes and …
