Palaeophis | |
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Fossil vertebrae of Palaeophis maghrebianus from Khouribga (Morocco) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | † Palaeophiidae |
Subfamily: | † Palaeophiinae |
Genus: | † Palaeophis Owen, 1841 |
Type species | |
†Palaeophis toliapicus Owen, 1841 | |
Species | |
Species
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Synonyms | |
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Palaeophis ('ancient snake') is an extinct genus of marine snake that is the type genus of the extinct snake family Palaeophiidae.
Described species within this genus lived in the Eocene epoch, with some unnamed or questionable records from Cenomanian and Maastrichtian. [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]
These species varied broadly in size; Palaeophis casei is the smallest at 1.3 metres of length, while the largest species, Palaeophis colossaeus, is estimated to have been 8.1–12.3 m (27–40 ft) long based on isolated vertebrae, [4] [8] making it one of the largest known snakes. However, most species of the genus were not as big. [9] [10] There are many species of Palaeophis but it can be separated into two assemblages of species or grades. In which the primitive grade include species whose vertebrae are weakly laterally compressed and have less developed and low process of vertebrae. Subsequently the advanced grade are characterized by vertebrae presenting a strong lateral compression which translate to being much better adaption to aquatic life.
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]
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Titanoboa is an extinct genus of giant boid snake that lived during the middle and late Paleocene. Titanoboa was first discovered in the early 2000s by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute who, along with students from the University of Florida, recovered 186 fossils of Titanoboa from La Guajira in northeastern Colombia. It was named and described in 2009 as Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever found. It was originally known only from thoracic vertebrae and ribs, but later expeditions collected parts of the skull and teeth. Titanoboa is in the subfamily Boinae, being most closely related to other extant boines from Madagascar and the Pacific.
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Palaeophiidae is an extinct family of marine snake within the infraorder Alethinophidia.
Coniophis is an extinct genus of snakes from the late Cretaceous period. The type species, Coniophis precedes, was about 7 cm long and had snake-like teeth and body form, with a skull and a largely lizard-like bone structure. It probably ate small vertebrates. The fossil remains of Coniophis were first discovered at the end of the 19th century in the Lance Formation of the US state of Wyoming, and were described in 1892 by Othniel Charles Marsh. For the genus Coniophis, a number of other species have been described. Their affiliation is, however, poorly secured, mostly based on vertebrae descriptions from only a few fossils.
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Acrochordoidea is a superfamily of snakes that contains only one extant family, the file snakes (Acrochordidae), as well as two extinct families, Nigerophiidae and Palaeophiidae. Members of this superfamily are largely aquatic in nature, with some species found in marine habitats, much as with the only distantly related sea snakes. Members of Palaeophiidae and Nigerophiidae could grow incredibly large and some species, such as members of the genus Palaeophis, were among the largest snakes to ever exist.
Maliamia is an extinct genus of amiid ray-finned fish from the Early Eocene, known from fragmentary remains found in the Tamaguélelt Formation of Mali. It was described in 1989, based on fossils recovered by three separate expeditions in 1975, 1979–80, and 1981. The type species is Maliamia gigas, named in reference to its large size.
Thaumastosaurus is an extinct genus of frogs in the family Pyxicephalidae. Five species are known, all from the Eocene of western Europe, including France, England, and Switzerland. Specimens of the species T. gezei from the Quercy Phosphorites of France are known for their exceptional preservation, providing three-dimensional images of the animal's life appearance.
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