In Germany, scientists have discovered the oldest fossil of a live-bearing snake. The snake lived 47 million years ago and was pregnant with at least two well-developed offspring at the time of its death. The discovery was made by researchers from the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in the Messel Pit near Darmstadt. The fossil, which is approximately 50 centimeters long, belongs to a species of boa called Messelophis variatus, which is one of the most common fossil snake species found in the Messel Pit.
The discovery of this fossil provides new insights into the evolution of snakes and their reproductive strategies. Until now, it was unknown when snakes first began giving birth to live young instead of laying eggs. The fossilized remains of the pregnant boa suggest that live birth was already a reproductive strategy in snakes 47 million years ago. This finding challenges previous assumptions about the evolution of snakes and their reproductive biology.
The researchers also found other fossils in the Messel Pit that provided additional information about the development of snakes. The discovery of smaller snake bones in the fossil of the pregnant boa suggests that these snakes may have been cannibalistic. The researchers are still trying to understand why the boa was pregnant instead of laying eggs, but they believe that further discoveries from this unique site may help solve this mystery. Overall, this discovery sheds new light on the evolution of snakes and their reproductive strategies.
