SE Evans - The Origin and Early Evolutionary History of Snakes, 2022 - books.google.com

The Origin and Early Diversification of Squamates.

STEM and diversification

Evans

GSID: 0A1mTgi4DQAJ

Excerpt

Squamata, the group that encompasses snakes, lizards, and amphisbaenians, is the largest (> 10,500 sp.) and most disparate group of modern reptiles. Extant squamates are distributed over all but the coldest parts of the world; range in size (snout–vent length, SVL) from millimetres to metres; and show a diversity of diets, shapes, locomotor patterns, and reproductive strategies. Snakes (Serpentes) account for roughly 35 per cent of all extant squamate species and their origin and relationships, which have long intrigued …