Mechanisms explaining positional diversity of the hindlimb in tetrapod evolution
(PHYSorg.com Archaeology & Fossils)

In the evolution of tetrapods, the position of the hindlimb has diversified along with the vertebral formula, which is the number of small bones forming the vertebra. Tetrapods, as the name implies, are species that have four feet. However, this group also includes many other animals without four or any feet, such as snakes and birds. This is because tetrapods include all the organisms, living and extinct, that descended from the last common ancestor of amphibians, reptiles and mammals, even if they have secondarily lost their `four feet`.