ABSTRACT
In the introduction to their volume on reptilian development, Billett et al. (1985) note, “…the study of the developmental anatomy of reptiles reached its zenith between 1850 and 1920.” Sadly, this has not changed significantly. Few modern studies in development have focused on reptiles (which for the purposes of this review will not include birds), and those that do concentrate mainly on chelonians. This may be due to the ease of obtaining turtle embryos, along with the observation that eggs of turtles are generally oviposited at much earlier stages of development than are those of squamates (for example, see Shine 1983). Much that we know, or think we know, has been learned from comparisons of snake development to other organisms, particularly birds. There have been few recent morphological studies of snake development, and even fewer molecular investigations.
