Baby snake that lived among the dinosaurs found preserved in amber

Scientists working in Myanmar have discovered a baby snake nearly 100 million years old locked up in the world. ;amber. Dating from the late Cretaceous, it is the oldest known snake in the fossil record, and the first snake known to have lived in a forest environment.

More than 2,900 species of snakes exist in the world, and they can be found on every continent except the Antarctic. These legless reptiles appeared during the Cretaceous period, and they lost little time to move on almost every part of the planet about 100 million years ago. The discovery of a baby snake fossilized in amber shows that the first snakes had spread beyond marshes and shorelines to make their way into woodlands. In addition, these ancient snakes looked strangely like those who live today – a case of classic evolution that does not have to repair something that is not broken. These discoveries were published today in Science Advances.

This remarkable fossil, with a second specimen of fossilized snake, was discovered at the Site. Angbamo in Kachin Province, Myanmar. The second fossilized snake, also preserved in amber, consisted only of pieces of scales and skin, but these remains were clearly snake – shaped. Together, the fossils offer new insights into the evolution of snakes and their global reach in the late Cretaceous era.

Using uranium-lead dating, a research team led by Lida Xing of the Chinese University of Geosciences and Michael Caldwell of the University of Alberta dated the fossils to about 99 million d & # 39; years. A technique called synchrotron X-ray tomography allowed researchers to closely observe the tiny specimens inside amber without having to separate them.

The second fossil, dubbed DIP-V-15104, contains the discarded skin of a larger individual, exhibiting both dark and bright patterns. This was not enough for the researchers to identify the species.

The snake baby, who was only one newborn at his death, was 47.55 mm (1.8 inches) tall. long, but he was missing his head (for unknown reasons). The researchers were able to document nearly 100 vertebrae, as well as fragments of ribs and other anatomies. It is similar to other Cretaceous serpents, but unique enough to warrant the designation of a new species, Xiaophis myanmarensis where "Xiao" is the Chinese word for "dawn", " ophis "meaning" snake "in Greek and" myanmarensis "for Myanmar. Snakes have been found preserved in amber before, but this is the first time that paleontologists have discovered a fossilized baby snake this way.

Xiaophis myanmarensis is comparable in size and shape to some snakes observed today, such as the Asian pipe snake. This fossil provides the first direct evidence showing that snake growth patterns have remained unchanged for 100 million years. These two snakes are also the first Mesozoic snakes known to have lived in a forest environment, "indicating greater ecological diversity among the first snakes than previously thought," write the researchers of the study. The two fossils were found next to the remains of insects and fragments of plant materials associated with forest soils.

It is unclear how this brood got stuck in a drop of tree sap, or how she lost her head, but her misfortune became our scientific gain.

[Science Advances]