Researchers Identify New Ancient Snake Species in England

A Surprising Discovery at the Museum

An unusual snake fossil found along the southern coast of England has revealed its secrets more than 40 years after its discovery. The new species has been named Paradoxophidion richardoweni, which lived 37 million years ago, during a time when Britain's climate was much warmer and teeming with reptiles.

Although researchers had only a few vertebrae of this snake, the finding sheds light on the early evolution of the most diversified group of snakes present today. Paradoxophidion is considered an early diverging member of the caenophidians, a group that includes most species of snakes alive today.

The species name honors Sir Richard Owen, who studied the first snake fossils discovered at Hordle Cliff. The study leader, Dr. Georgios Georgalis, stated that describing a new species from museum collections was a “dream come true.”

A Warm, Reptile-Filled Past

Hordle Cliff, near Christchurch, features fossils from the Eocene epoch, a period marked by significant climatic changes. Approximately 37 million years ago, England was much warmer, with high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The fossils discovered at this site include a variety of reptiles, and recent research suggests that Paradoxophidion could be an ancestor of some aquatic snake species, given that its vertebrae resemble those of acrochordid snakes.

Continuing Research

Georgios plans to continue studying the fossil collections, suspecting that there may be more unidentified species. “I am interested in a variety of snake fossils, including those studied by Richard Owen,” he added.