中国科学院南京地质古生物研究所机构知识库

Despite the world-widely reported snake fossils throughout the Cenozoic, snake fossils from China have not yet been frequently reported. Here we report a series of early Pliocene snake fossils entombed with the mammalian fauna from Houxushan, Queshan, Henan, China. By the comprehensive osteological comparison between the fossils and many extant snakes, we report three families (Colubridae, Natricidae, and Viperidae) and six genera (Cyclophiops, Elaphe, Gloydius, Lycodon, Protobothrops, and Rhabdophis) and summarised brief diagnoses of these genera. Those fossil snakes present at least three different dental types: solid teeth (regular teeth), tubular teeth, and blade-like teeth. Based on the mammalian faunas, the age of the fossil snakes can be inferred as the end of the early Pliocene near MN15 (similar to 4.2 - 3.6 Ma). The discovery of the snake fossils emphasises the necessity of further investigating the Cenozoic snake faunas in China and provides new insights into the Cenozoic biodiversity and climate. In contrast to the cold and dry climate inferred by earlier studies, a diverse number of Oriental species and anuran-preying snakes in the Queshan herpetofauna might reveal a warmer and more humid climate in this region during the early Pliocene.