Palaeophis

Palaeophis ('ancient snake') is an extinct genus of marine snake that is the type genus of the extinct snake family Palaeophiidae.

Palaeophis
Temporal range: Cretaceous - Eocene, 70.6–33.9 Ma
Fossil vertebrae of Palaeophis maghrebianus from Khouribga (Morocco)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: †Palaeophiidae
Subfamily: †Palaeopheinae
Genus: †Palaeophis
Owen, 1841
Type species
†Palaeophis toliapicus
Owen, 1841
Species

Species within this genus lived from the Cretaceous period to the Eocene epoch, approximately from 70.6 to 33.9 million years ago.[1] Fossils of species within this genus have been found in England, France, Denmark,[2] Morocco[3] and Mali.[4] Remains have also been found in North America, including Maryland and Virginia (from the early Eocene Nanjemoy Formation),[5] Georgia[6] and Mississippi.[7]

Description
Restoration of Palaeophis maghrebianus
Illustration of articulated vertebrae of P. toliapicus

These species varied broadly in size; Palaeophis casei is the smallest at 1.3 metres of length, while Palaeophis colossaeus, known from isolated vertebrae, is the largest at the estimated size limits for the genus at over 9 m (29.5 ft) in length,[4] making it one of the largest known snakes. However most species of the genus were not as big.[8][9]

Biology

Species of Palaeophis were specialised aquatic animals, as their fossils occur primarily in marine strata, though at least some estuarine remains have also been found.[7] Different species are thought to have occupied different ecological niches.

Studies on Palaeophis vertebrae show a high degree of vascularisation, suggesting that it had a considerably faster metabolism and growth rate than modern snakes. This may suggest that palaeophiids, like other marine reptiles such as mosasaurs, might have developed towards endothermy.[3]

References
  1. Fossilworks
  2. Kristensen, H. V.; Cuny, G.; Rasmussen, A. R.; Madsen, H (2012). "Earliest record of the fossil snake Palaeophis from the Paleocene/Eocene boundary in Denmark". Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. 183 (6): 621–625. doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.183.6.621.
  3. Houssaye, Alexandra; Rage, Jean-Claude; Bardet, Nathalie; Vincent, Peggy; Amaghzaz, Mbarek; Meslouh, Said (2013). "New highlights about the enigmatic marine snake Palaeophis maghrebianus (Palaeophiidae; Palaeophiinae) from the Ypresian (Lower Eocene) phosphates of Morocco". Palaeontology. 56 (3): 647–661. doi:10.1111/pala.12008.
  4. Rage, J.-C. (1983). "Palaeophis colossaeus nov. sp. (le plus grand Seprent connu?) de l'Eocène du Mali et le problème du genre chez les Palaeopheinae". Comptes rendus de l'Académie des Sciences de Paris. 3 (296): 1741–1744.
  5. Blake, S. F. "Note on a vertebra of Palaeophis from the Eocene of Maryland." Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 31.12 (1941): 501-503.
  6. Parmley, Dennis, and Harold W. Reed. "Size and age class estimates of North American Eocene palaeopheid snakes." Georgia Journal of Science 61.4 (2003): 220.
  7. Holman, J. Alan. "Palaeophis casei, new species, a tiny palaeophid snake from the early Eocene of Mississippi." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 2.2 (1982): 163-166.
  8. Holman, J. Alan (1982). "Palaeophis casei, new species, a tiny palaeophid snake from the early Eocene of Mississippi". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 2 (2): 163–166. doi:10.1080/02724634.1982.10011927. JSTOR 4522892.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  9. Rage, Jean-Claude; et al. (2003). "Early Eocene snakes from Kutch, Western India, with a review of the Palaeophiidae". Geodiversitas. Editions scientifiques du Muséum, Paris, France. 25 (4): 695–716. ISSN 1280-9659. Retrieved 12 May 2010.


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