The scientists have come across a new species of ancient snakes which had wings and it dates back to 5 million years.
The sinkhole in eastern Tennessee holds the key discovery of evolution of snakes. The fossils come from Gray Fossil site in eastern Tennesee.
This study involved many hours of close examination of hundreds of dark mineral-stained snake fossils. In the end, the biggest surprise was the discovery of vertebrae that don’t match any known species of snake, living or extinct. The researchers named the new genus and species Zilantophis schuberti.
“Snakes don’t have arms or legs, but they have high numbers of vertebrae,” Jasinski said. “These are often the bones that paleontologists use to identify fossil snakes.”
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Zilantophis bore uniquely broad wing-shaped projections on the sides of its vertebrae. In life, these were likely attachment sites for back muscles. These features are what inspired the name of the new genus, derived from Zilant, a winged serpent in Russian mythology.
Zilantophis was a small snake, about 12-16 inches long. Based on features of its vertebrae, this new species is thought to be most closely related to rat snakes (Pantherophis) and kingsnakes (Lampropeltis), both of which are relatively common in North America today.
From inputs from ANI