About 128 million years ago, snakes experienced a significant adaptation boom, leading them to evolve up to three times faster than lizards. Initially, when snakes first evolved from lizards over 100 million years ago, they were minor players in ecosystems dominated by dinosaurs. Fast forward to today, and there are around 4,000 snake species, ranging from massive green anacondas to tiny thread snakes. Out of the 25 groups of legless lizards, only snakes truly diversified and thrived. A recent study sheds light on the reasons behind this fascinating evolutionary success.

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