Snakes could sprout legs and roam the Earth at any moment. That's according to scientists who say the slithering creatures are still equipped with the gene they once used to grow limbs and that a mutation is the only thing stopping it from being activated again.
More than 150 million years ago during the Upper Cretaceous period, scientists say snakes had visible legs, but later evolved into the gliding reptiles we recognise today.
Ancient fossils show they had a complete set of forelimbs and hindlimbs - just like dogs or cats.Boffins say the 'Sonic Hedgehog' (SHH) gene needed to grow limbs still exists in snakes, but that a mutation in the "enhancer" which controls its activation prevents it from flicking to the "on position".
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