38‑million-year-old intertwined snakes fossil thrills scientists

The world still harbors many undiscovered mysteries, and evidence of this is not hard to find. Researchers continuously report discoveries – from traces of cultures predating modern humans to fossils of long-extinct animals. One such sensational discovery is the recent find in Wyoming.

In this location, scientists from the University of Alberta found a specific snake fossil in rocks from the Oligocene epoch (Cenozoic era). The remains include four specimens intertwined and preserved in surprisingly good condition. This is excellent news for scholars, as it allows them to examine what they have found closely.

The identified specimens might be ancestors of today's boas and pythons. What captured the discoverers' attention most is how the fossil is arranged. The reptiles are coiled into a ball, the first known instance of this arrangement in discovery history.

Researchers identified the species of fossilized snakes as Hibernophis breithaupti. The first part of this name is derived from the snakes' positioning. According to scientists, this specific intertwining is not a coincidence—it is precisely the form in which the snakes hibernated in a group.

As noted on the University of Alberta's website, the excellent condition of the remains is most likely because the snakes died during hibernation. Scholars suspect that the reptiles perished suddenly, without a chance to move. They point towards a volcanic eruption, which could have caused large amounts of ash and avalanches, covering the hibernating snakes and causing their immediate death.

The hibernation of Hibernophis breithaupti also shows an interesting trait of these snakes from 38 million years ago. It is rare in the animal kingdom for creatures to hibernate in such a "tight" group. The ancestors of today's boas and pythons were also significantly smaller than contemporary reptiles. Scientists reached this conclusion during the preliminary examination of the Wyoming find.