About 38 million years ago, three snakes died huddled together in what is now Wyoming. For decades, the identity of the fossils remained a mystery. Now, researchers have revealed that the snakes are a new species.
The fossils were discovered in the White River Formation in 1976, and researchers were the first to observe the snakes’ herding behavior. 1986 StudyThe snakes may have huddled together in groups to seek warmth and protection during the winter, providing the first clear evidence of social behaviour in reptiles in the fossil record. statement A research team from the University of Alberta discovered the fossils, which suggest that these snakes may have hibernated in groups, much like modern garter snakes.Thamnophis) do.
In a new study published June 19, Zoological Journal of the Linnean SocietyScientists have taken high-resolution CT scan To examine the fossils more closely.
The team believes the snake is related to modern boas and belongs to a newly described species. Hibernophis Brighthaupti. Hibernophis It is a combination of the Latin “hibernare,” meaning “to overwinter,” and the Greek “ophis,” meaning “serpent.” The name was inspired by the snake’s unusual social behavior.
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“This is really unusual for a reptile,” said the study’s co-author. Michael Caldwell“Of the approximately 15,000 species of reptiles alive today, none hibernate like the garter snake,” Dr. Jonathan Myers, a vertebrate paleontologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Alberta, said in a statement.
Garter snakes, which live throughout North America, congregate in communal burrows from October through April and sometimes travel long distances to see one another, according to the study. National Park ServiceSnakes hibernate in groups to stay warm when temperatures drop.
“They can’t regulate their body temperature so they need to find a way to store as much heat as they can during the winter, which is why they form large clumps,” Caldwell said.
H. Breithauptie The fossils capture a snapshot of this social behavior just before the animals died, and it’s possible that the snakes gathered together for the same reason. The researchers speculate that the snakes may have been caught in a small flood while in their winter burrows, becoming trapped and quickly encased in fine sandy mudstone, the statement said.
This process not only helped keep the animals together as a group, but also preserved complete, articulated skeletons, which is especially unusual for snakes, which are made up of hundreds of vertebrae that can easily become dislodged.
“There are probably close to a million dismembered snake vertebrae in museum collections around the world,” Caldwell said. “They’re easy to find, but to find an entire snake is quite unusual.”
