Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

Boidae. I love their looks and temperament, but they're also caught in a really interesting stage of evolutionary transition and that is one of my primary interests.

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

Can you reference material for their stage of evolutionary transition? I'd like to read up on it

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

Well, fossil records for snakes are limited, but it's believed that snakes evolved from animals rather like monitor lizards and the remnant of a hip found in Boids and pythons (along with some other physical characteristics) is said to be evidence of the link.

Hussam Zaher's work is pretty excellent, I think.

A Fossil Snake with Limbs | Hussam Zaher - Academia.edu

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

No disrespect, but I find to many "it's believed" and actual provable facts to believe these theories.

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

And no disrespect to you, but I'm not religious.

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

Neither am I

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

This isnt a statment on religion or the belief of evolution or not. Its a matter of proof of this evolutionary step/change being provable or not as opposed to a matter of beliefs.

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

Well, don't be stingy, SSSSnakes. What proven facts are you talking about? Do you believe in an alternative theory? If so, what is it? I'm no expert, but I am very interested in the subject.

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

Agreed. Im intregued by this as I've heard the theory before but as stated previously Ive seen no solid evidence backing it up. evidence is always what I base by beliefs on hence why as previously stated its not a matter of religous reasoning but seeing proof of the theory. Of course I understand that its only a theory due to the fact that theres not rock solid proof or it would be fact as opposed to theory. However I love seeing small pieces of evidence to support these types of theories.

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

Yeah, sort of cryptic (and flawed;)) writing in SSSSnakes first response and I don't want to try and make anyone question their faith.

But I'm pretty sure that you know more about snakes than I do, SSSSnakes, so I'm genuinely intrigued by your skepticism. Maybe you'd be nice enough to PM me if we're hijacking now.

That statement is a fact. But it's the theory with the most evidence pointing towards plausibility to my limited knowledge.

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

That's really just the colloquial use of the term theory. As an example, evolution is a "theory" but it's not "just a theory". It's well thought out, debated, and backed up with evidence.

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

I agree. It's almost conservative to call evolution a theory. I think it gives focus to the questions ahead though. I remember people asking where the missing link between man and ape was when I was a kid. We have the fossilized remains of a whole chain of them now and there is similar evidence that snakes evolved from lizards. It even looks like some of the links are still alive and well.

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

No, it's not conservative to call it a theory. Scientists have these words with specific definitions for a reason. Wiki actually has a decent write up on this.
Evolution as fact and theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

What is the definition of almost?

Re: What's your favourite snake family?
 

It's not "almost conservative".

Better?