Eophis

E-oh-fiss.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Eophis ‭(‬dawn snake‭)‬.

Phonetic

E-oh-fiss.

Named By

M.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Caldwell,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬Nydam,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Palci‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Apestegu�a‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Squamata,‭ ‬Ophidia.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

E.‭ ‬underwoodi‭

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

United kingdom,‭ ‬England‭ ‬-‭ ‬Forest Marble Formation.

Time Period

Bathonian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Well preserved remains.

In Depth

       At the time of its description in‭ ‬2015,‭ ‬Eophis was known as one of the oldest snakes to appear.‭ ‬So early and primitive is Eophis,‭ ‬that this snake still had four legs,‭ ‬all very small and underdeveloped,‭ ‬but visibly present none the less.‭ ‬Despite these primitive features,‭ ‬Eophis already has a snake like head.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The oldest known snakes from the Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous provide insights on snake evolution.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nature Communications.‭ ‬6‭ ‬-‭ ‬M.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Caldwell,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬Nydam,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Palci‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Apestegu�a‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

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