In 1981, a new species of snake was discovered and has as been identified as an early member of the caenophidian clade, a group of nocturnal snakes.
The snake, known as Paradoxophidion richardoweni, was first found at Hordle Cliff on the South Coast of England. It is estimated to have lived 37 million years ago. The genus name “paradox” refers to the mix of characteristics found in various snakes within the caenophidian clade. The species name, richardoweni, is a tribute to Sir Richard Owen who named the first fossil snakes discovered at Hordle Cliff and played a important role in establishing the Natural History museum.
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The researchers,Dr. Marc Jones and Dr. Georgios Georgalis of the Natural History Museum, used CT scans to identify 31 vertebrae from the spine of Paradoxophidion. These vertebrae are only a few millimeters in length.By creating three-dimensional models of the fossils, thay were able to share them online for further study. Based on their findings,it is indeed estimated that this snake was less than a meter in length.
While studying the backbones of Paradoxophidion, researchers noted similarities to those found in Acrochordus snakes – aquatic snakes found in Australia and tropical Asia. Though, there is not enough evidence to determine if this species was also aquatic or which family it belongs to.
The complete paper titled “A new peculiar early diverging caenophidian snake (Serpentes) from the late Eocene of hordle Cliff,England” can be read on the Scientific Press website.
Wow, that’s incredible! It’s amazing to think about the history of these creatures.