NORMAN, OKLA. - Snakes and lizards, collectively known as Squamata, have long fascinated scientists and nature enthusiasts alike. These remarkable creatures represent a staggering third of terrestrial vertebrates and have evolved an array of spectacular adaptations in locomotion, feeding, and sensory processing. Yet until now, the underlying drivers of their remarkable diversity have remained shrouded in mystery.
A groundbreaking study, published and featured on the cover of Science, sheds light on the evolutionary forces that have shaped the squamate lineage. The study was led by an international team of researchers, including six affiliates of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History at the University of Oklahoma, and combines individual-based natural history observations-spanning over 60,000 animals-with a comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny. The researchers anchored their analysis using genomic data from 1,018 species across the squamate tree of life.
