Aussie snakes have 5 spine zones, necks just 7-12 vertebrae long

By measuring every vertebra along the bodies of 13 native Australian snakes, evolutionary biologists have discovered that a snake's spine is much more organized than previously believed. Instead of being one long, uniform structure, it contains five distinct anatomical regions, including a surprisingly short neck made up of just 7 to 12 vertebrae.The study, published in the Journal of Morphology, challenges the long-standing idea that limbless reptiles have simple backbones that gradually change shape along a single continuous pattern.Researchers closely examined three venomous Australian species: The eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis), the copperhead (Austrelaps superbus), and the tiger snake (Notechis scutatus).By carefully measuring the shape and size of every vertebra from head to tail, the researchers identified clear transition points where one section of the spine changes into the next.Moving beyond the 'Simple Noodle' view of snake anatomyTo the human eye, snakes appear to have a simple body consisting of…