Paleontologists identify fossilized bones as belonging to four distinct snake species that lived in ancient times

Jan 28, 2015 13:19 GMT  ·  By
Artist's conception of three of the four newly identified ancient snakes: (top left) Portugalophis lignites; (top right) Diablophis gilmorei; (bottom) Parviraptor estesi
   Artist's conception of three of the four newly identified ancient snakes: (top left) Portugalophis lignites; (top right) Diablophis gilmorei; (bottom) Parviraptor estesi

In a new study published in yesterday's issue of the journal Nature Communications, paleontologists with the University of Alberta in Canada announce the discovery of fossilized remains belonging to as many as four distinct snake species that lived in ancient times.

The fossils, one of which is recreated in the animation below, were recovered from sites in Europe and North America. The three species that used to roam Europe, i.e. Eophis, Portugalophis and Parviraptor, chiefly populated coastal regions.

The one species that used to call North America its home, on the other hand, wasn't a big fan of beach landscapes. Thus, Diablophis fossils have so far only been found close to ancient rivers at a considerable distance from the shoreline.

The reason paleontologists were quite excited to find these snake remains is that, by the looks of it, the bones are somewhere between 140 and 167 million years old. This makes them the absolute oldest snake fossils ever found anywhere in the world.

What's more, the discovery of these fossils indicates that snakes roamed our planet about 70 million years earlier than previously assumed. Hence, scientists must now rethink their emergence and evolution.

“The study explores the idea that evolution within the group called ‘snakes’ is much more complex than previously thought,” explains specialist Michael Caldwell.

Furthermore, “Importantly, there is now a significant knowledge gap to be bridged by future research, as no fossils snakes are known from between 140 to 100 million years ago.”