Evolution in Action: Lizard Moving From Eggs to Live Birth

SaltwaterServr

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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...ution-australia-lizard-skink-live-birth-eggs/

Evolution has been caught in the act, according to scientists who are decoding how a species of Australian lizard is abandoning egg-laying in favor of live birth.

Along the warm coastal lowlands of New South Wales (map), the yellow-bellied three-toed skink lays eggs to reproduce. But individuals of the same species living in the state's higher, colder mountains are almost all giving birth to live young.

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Hoofbite

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I've always wondered why so many animals have such little and useless arms.

Must suck. Sorry Costa.
 

SaltwaterServr

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Hoofbite;4772881 said:
I've always wondered why so many animals have such little and useless arms.

Must suck. Sorry Costa.

Skinks. They burrow. Arms are in the way.

Funny thing about cetaceans, many of them retain their lower limbs in some state through adulthood, and also have parts and pieces of their pelvis.

To explain, cetaceans are whales, dolphins, porpoises. To the best of my knowledge, its still a general consensus that they were former land mammals that evolved for life back into the sea, hence they have their walking land mammal bone structures.
 

jobberone

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CliffnMesquite;4772956 said:
Another 500 Million years or so, and they will be running the place.


Which one? Short armed descendents of Costa or whales?
 

SaltwaterServr

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CliffnMesquite;4772956 said:
Another 500 Million years or so, and they will be running the place.

2 or 3 million should be all that's necessary. 500 million would be enough for the successor to our successor.

I'd keep my eyes on bees and squid too.
 

arglebargle

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SaltwaterServr;4773023 said:
2 or 3 million should be all that's necessary. 500 million would be enough for the successor to our successor.

I'd keep my eyes on bees and squid too.

I laugh at your silly squid successors! Don't be a sucker for that line. Everyone knows it will be the Octopi!
 
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