Scientists discovered four snakes curled together in a burrow for 38 million years

Overview of Hibernophis breithaupti (UW11120 on two blocks), showing holotype (UW-11120-A) and paratype (UW-11120-B) specimens as exposed on the surface. Image Credit: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society A snake fossil discovery in Wyoming has given palaeontologists an unusually close look at the lives of these ancient reptiles. Four complete skeletons belonging to a newly recognised species, have helped researchers understand an early member of the ‘boa family’ and the history of small, burrowing snakes in North America. Three of the snakes were preserved together in a burrow-like cast, while a fourth specimen from the same formation provided additional evidence for identifying the species. The fossils date to the early Oligocene, more than 30 million years ago, and were found in the White River Formation. Their preservation is especially important because ancient snakes are usually known from scattered vertebrae rather than complete skeletons. The findings, published in the 'Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society,' offer a rare glimpse into snake evolution and possibly ancient communal sheltering behaviour.What makes these 38-million-year-old snake fossils uniqueFossil s...