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Two-headed Reptile Fossil Found in China

Posted by samzenpus on from the better-than-one dept.

[TheBORG] writes "A tiny skeleton from the Early Cretaceous shows an embryonic or newborn reptile with two heads and two necks, called axial bifurcation ('two-headedness') (a well-known developmental flaw among reptile species today such as turtles and snakes) was found in China by French and Chinese paleontologists recovered from the Yixian Formation, which is nearly 150 million years old."

3 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. I totally believe it by gardyloo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Especially after seeing the photo of a sketch of some cartoon character at the story.

  2. Re:The ass casts the deciding vote by data1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Evolve radiating appendages that are highly vascularized to move blood rapidly away from the hot "core" with the brain.
    Doesnt't sound plausible because high blood flow at those rates exposes you to serious damage by relatively small injuries.

  3. Re:Developmental Flaw? by McWilde · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's probably called a flaw because the development of the extra head isn't determined by the creature's genes. It's a trait that can't be passed to its offspring, so it has no part in evolution.

    --
    Maybe