New fossil snake species provides insight into reptile social behavior and development

[Still Waters]

A newly discovered snake species, Hibernophis breithaupti, provides rare insight into the social behavior of snakes and fills some gaps in our knowledge of the evolution of boas, or boidae. The quartet of fossilized snakes discovered in western Wyoming dates back 38 million years.

The snake specimens were preserved in a cluster within a hibernaculum, a space where animals shelter together during colder months. The position in which the specimens were found "represents social behavior in snakes, which is something that we don't often see," Michael Caldwell explains. According to Caldwell, a professor in the Faculty of Science, this is the first clear evidence of reptilian social behavior in the fossil record.

https://phys.org/news/2024-07-fossil-snake-species-insight-reptile.html