THE HINDU (Chennai, India) 18 September 08 ‘Two-legged snake’ sends scientists on wild goose chase
Thiruvananthapuram: What promised to be one of the greatest scientific discoveries in recent times turned out to be a wild goose chase for a team of scientists from the Department of Zoology, University of Kerala, on Wednesday.
Media reports and pictures about the discovery of a ‘two-legged snake’ at Alamcode near Attingal sent the scientists into a tizzy. The team comprising Head of the Department Oommen V. Oommen and research scholars R. Dileepkumar and K. Ramachandran set out to recover the body of the snake that was reported to have been killed by local people three days back.
“From the evolutionary point of view, a two-legged snake could have been a major find. On our way to the site where it was found, we discussed the possibility of a ‘perfect mutation’ that could have resulted in this freak of nature. All throughout, we nursed high hopes of authoring a paper in an international scientific journal like Nature. It would have meant global recognition,” says Dr. Oommen.
On reaching Alamcode, the researchers contacted several people in a bid to identify someone who could lead them to the spot where the body was discarded. They finally managed to zero in on a youth employed at an automobile dealership who informed them that the three persons who had killed the snake had gone to Bangalore. He and his friend who had recorded the snake on his video camera accompanied the researchers to the location where local people had thrown the snake after killing it.
“We hoped to collect some tissue samples for DNA sequencing to study the possibility of mutation. But thankfully, the three-day-old carcass had only started rotting. The snake, about two feet long, was identified as a natrix, commonly found in fields and wetlands. It was wrapped in a plastic cover,” says Mr. Dileepkumar.
Back at the laboratory in the university department, the researchers decided to subject the carcass to an X-ray to study the formation of limbs. On the dissection table, they however noticed a change of texture at the point where the limbs originated from the body. Also, while touching the legs with the forceps, something began bulging inside the body of the snake. On dissection, the body of a frog fell out.
“Apparently, the snake had swallowed the frog just before it was beaten to death. In its struggle to escape, the live frog could have prised open the snake’s belly with its claws before succumbing to exhaustion and death. With the legs sticking out, the snake created the impression that it had two legs,” says Mr. Dileepkumar.
“Our hopes of a great find were dashed but we are happy that we could provide an explanation for something that could have remained a mystery for ages,” says Dr. Oommen.
‘Two-legged snake’ sends scientists on wild goose chase