http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/mother-all-snakes-was-surprisingly-modern-180955349/
Some 110 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs died, the most recent common ancestor of all living snakes slithered through the dense jungles of Gondwana, stalking small mammals and beetles beneath an ancient moon.
That’s the conclusion of a recent analysis from researchers at Yale University, who conducted the first in-depth genetic and anatomical study of dozens of snake species, living and extinct, to come up with a best guess for the behavior and physical traits of the ancient creature. At 10 feet long and with two puny limbs dragging near its tail, it would probably give you the chills if it crossed your path today.
The findings underscore the great evolutionary success of the snake body structure. There are more than 3,000 species across every continent except Antarctica, but snakes haven’t changed much in more than 100 million years. “Despite not having legs, snakes are adept at surviving in a variety of habitats—deserts, forests, aquatic environs, in trees, underground. They are incredibly adaptable,” says Daniel J. Field, a Yale evolutionary biologist who, along with colleagues, published the analysis in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.