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Xiu Qiong Duan, 68, told the SINA Beijing news agency she woke up in the middle of the night to find the snake clinging to the wall of her bedroom.
"I woke up and heard a strange scratching sound ... at first I thought it was thieves" she said.
"I turned on the light and saw this monster working its way along the wall using his claw."
Originally posted by CALGARIAN
Posted atleast 5 threads in last few months.
Also, it doesn't prove Macro-Evolution.
Vestigial structures are often homologous to structures that are functioning normally in other species. Therefore, vestigial structures can be considered evidence for evolution, the process by which beneficial heritable traits arise in populations over an extended period of time. The existence of vestigial traits can be attributed to changes in the environment and behavior patterns of the organism in question. As the function of the trait is no longer beneficial for survival, the likelihood that future offspring will inherit the "normal" form of it decreases. In some cases the structure becomes detrimental to the organism (for example the eyes of a mole can become infected). In many cases the structure is of no direct harm, yet all structures require extra energy in terms of development, maintenance, and weight, and are also a risk in terms of disease (e.g., infection, cancer), providing some selective pressure for the removal of parts that do not contribute to an organism's fitness. A structure that is not harmful will take longer to be 'phased out' than one that is. However, some vestigial structures may persist due to limitations in development, such that complete loss of the structure could not occur without major alterations of the organism's developmental pattern, and such alterations would likely produce numerous negative side-effects. The toes of many animals such as horses, which stand on a single toe, are still evident in a vestigial form and may become evident, although rarely, from time to time in individuals.
The vestigial versions of the structure can be compared to the original version of the structure in other species in order to determine the homology of a vestigial structure. Homologous structures indicate common ancestry with those organisms that have a functional version of the structure. Douglas Futuyma has stated that vestigial structures make no sense without evolution, just as spelling and usage of many modern English words can only be explained by their Latin or Old Norse antecedents.
Vestigial traits can still be considered adaptations. This is because an adaptation is often defined as a trait that has been favored by natural selection. Adaptations, therefore, need not be adaptive, as long as they were at some point.
The tiny hip bones and leg bones present in some snakes are an example of?
Vestigial structures. Over time, the reptiles snakes descended from gradually began to use their legs less and less and so the limbs disappeared. The hip and leg bones present are essentially useless to the snake and are "left over" from their evolution. That is what a vestigial structure is (e.g. appendix in humans is also vestigal; we don't use it).
Originally posted by Wertdagf
reply to post by Blaine91555
It actually looks liek a small snake tried to swallow a dead lizard.....
The claws of the lizard actually penetrated the snakes digestive tract and out his side... that snake is writhing in horrible aggony... not using it as an arm.
Originally posted by Blaine91555
That was the first thing I thought. I know that Whales also have the vestigial organs that were once legs.