Showing posts with label Ancient Snake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ancient Snake. Show all posts

Sunday, July 28

THIRTY-FOUR Million Year Old Snake Discovered


The fossilized skeleton of the newly discovered snake species Hibernophis breithaupti, which lived 38 million years ago in what is now western Wyoming, reveals insights into the evolution and social behavior of its modern descendants. Credit: Jasmine Croghan


Ancient snakes have been unearthed, shedding light on the continent’s slithering past.
A newly discovered fossil snake species in Wyoming is transforming our understanding of snake evolution. Unearthed from a burrow where four well-preserved specimens were found intertwined, this species, named Hibernophis breithaupti, lived in North America 34 million years ago. This discovery provides valuable insights into the origins and diversification of boas and pythons.


Hibernophis breithaupti has unique anatomical features, in part because the specimens are articulated—meaning they were found all in one piece with the bones still arranged in the proper order—which is unusual for fossil snakes. Researchers believe it may be an early member of Booidea, a group that includes modern boas and pythons. Modern boas are widespread in the Americas, but their early evolution is not well understood. These new and very complete fossils add important new information, in particular, on the evolution of small, burrowing boas known as rubber boas.           READ MORE...