Ancient Snake Fossil Reveals How Evolution Reshaped a Species Over 100 Million Years
Photo: Alex Grodkiewicz / Unsplash
A remarkably well-preserved fossil from Argentina is helping scientists understand snake evolution in new ways. The 100-million-year-old Najash rionegrina had hind legs and a cheekbone structure that has largely disappeared in modern snakes, suggesting that early snakes were actually large, wide-mouthed hunters rather than tiny burrowers as previously thought.
A remarkably well-preserved fossil from Argentina is helping scientists understand snake evolution in new ways. The 100-million-year-old Najash rionegrina had hind legs and a cheekbone structure that has largely disappeared in modern snakes, suggesting that early snakes were actually large, wide-mouthed hunters rather than tiny burrowers as previously thought.