Acknowledgement

We would like to thank all animal keepers and raisers for their selfless disclosure of information and the fruitful dialogue that was frequently faced with logistical challenges due to the regional distance.

We should like to express our sincere thanks to Georg Stelzner, Frankfurt, for photographic editing and the provision of the entire photographic material. Special thanks go to Dr. Krister Smith, Frankfurt, for the provision of paleontological expert literature and the long-standing amicable exchange as well as the fruitful discussions, particularly about phylogenetic-paleontological correlations within anguimorpha (‘Schleichenartige’).

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