JULY 14, 2022
Tetrapodophis amplectus mentioned in history from Zoology study. – Free Press Journal
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Four-legged snake ‘Tetrapodophis amplectus’, descendant of dinosaurs and known to be extinct, have appeared in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The marvellous creature was re-discovered with the discovery of its fossils in 2015. However, it was happily extinct in scientific journals until now. The deadly snake is known be extinct but, finding it on Thursday, snake-catcher Kailash Nath has proved its existence. The snake is deadly enough to kill a person with one bite.
“Even if a cobra bites you, you can be saved with ‘secret’ Ayurveda roots from the forest, but this is a different kind of snake,” Nath said. Explaining how this genus is actually a rare snake, he added that the Tetrapodophis amplectus are old-world species.
“Snakes have evolved to fit in with human civilization and, hence, we have many snakes that are non-venomous,” Nath said. However, this creature of the past has surprised the world with its survival. It was not always survival of the fittest, but rather survival of the most adaptable, Nath added.
Four-legged snake from fossils
During the discovery of the fossil of the Tetrapodophis amplectus, Nicholas Longrich, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom and co-author of a new study, had described a snake fossil just like the snake found in Indore. On the fossil, another palentologist from Yale University had commented, “The Tetrapodophis is definitely a snake; no other reptile has the combination of features this creature has.”
Why is it not a lizard and not a snake?
There are several features of its creation that make it stand apart from a lizard. For example, the shape of its mouth, the venom, reduced size of its limbs, movement, and so forth. The creature’s teeth are pointed and slightly curved. ‘The dramatically reduced size of the creature’s limbs, as well as a cylindrical (rather than a flattened) tail are some other features,’ chief conservator of forests HS Mohanta said.
Remember, snakes are essential…
World Snake Day is celebrated every year on July 16 to raise awareness about different kinds of snakes found in the world. Snakes are essential to our environment and play an indispensable role in the biosphere. There are over 3,000 species of snakes on the planet and they are found everywhere, except in Antarctica. India has over 279 species of snakes, most of which are non-venomous. Of these, over 38 species are found in Madhya Pradesh.
