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Your Inner Reptile

Season 1 Episode 2 | 54m 46s

A key moment in our evolutionary saga occurred 200 million years ago, when the ferocious reptile-like animals that roamed the Earth were in the process of evolving into shrew-like mammals. But our reptilian ancestors left their mark on many parts of the human body, including our skin, teeth and ears.

Aired: 04/15/14 | Expires: 12/31/27
Extras
Find out which beneficial traits our primate progenitors bequeathed us.
Find out which traits our primate progenitors bequeathed to us.
Learn which parts of our bodies we’ve inherited from our reptilian ancestors.
Paleontologist Holly Dunsworth shows us fossil evidence for the disappearance of our tail.
As Bruce Latimer explains, our evolutionary history has some consequences for our back.
Biologist Peter Holland shows us how much we have in common with a wormy little animal.
Meet an ancient primate with a hand eerily similar to your own.
Our relationship to living primates can be seen in their anatomy and genes.
Don Johanson recounts the discovery of an iconic human ancestor in Ethiopia.
Neil Shubin finds a tiny fossil that represents an important time in our evolution.
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