This 37-Million-Year-Old ‘Paradox Snake’ Sat in a Museum Drawer for 40 Years Before Scientists Realized It Was New

The post This 37-million-year-old ‘paradox snake’ sat in a museum drawer for 40 years until scientists realized it was new appeared first on AZ Animals

Quick shot

• A 37-million-year-old snake fossil discovered at Hoddle Cliff in the UK has been identified as a new species. Richard’s paradoxical spider.

• The tiny fossilized vertebra was ignored in the Natural History Museum’s collection for more than 40 years before researchers considered it new.

• The species is a member of an early branch of the order Sauria, which includes more than 80% of all snake species living today.

• The fossil may represent the oldest relative of modern elephant-nosed snakes (family Elephantidae), suggesting it may have been aquatic.

Millions of years ago, Britain was very different to what it is today. During the late Eocene, England was rich in tropical swamp forests—the perfect habitat for reptiles. A newly discovered snake species dating back 37 million years was discovered in fossils excavated in southern England in 1981. unusual species (Paradoxophidion richardoweni) The evolution of snakes in the British Isles revealed.

The discovery of a fossil discovered more than 40 years ago

The fossils, which consist of 31 vertebrae from a prehistoric snake, were found at Hordle Cliff on England’s south coast. The ancient bones sit in a museum drawer at London’s Natural History Museum, untouched for decades. That is, until Dr. Georgios Georgalis began investigating the museum’s old fossil collection.

In a statement, Joe Galis explained how he realized what was special about the ancient fossil. “It was a childhood dream of mine to be able to visit the Museum of Natural History, let alone conduct research there,” Georgalis said. “So it was an amazing feeling when I saw these very strange vertebrae in the collection and knew they were something new.” Georgalis was the lead author of a study published in November 2025 that announced the discovery of the new species.

The cliffs of Hodel Cliffs are composed of soft clay and sand. Because material erodes quickly, relatively well-preserved fossils are exposed, making Hoddle Cliffs a prime location for fossil collecting. The larger fossils found at Hodel Cliffs have been well studied, e.g. Palex, One of the earliest named pythons in the fossil record. But until now, many of the smaller snake fossils found at the site have been ignored.

what do we know Richard’s paradoxical spider?

The only bones in the fossil come from the snake’s vertebrae. It reveals a large neural tube and strong supporting structures in the spine. Its shape differs from both primitive snakes and today’s modern species. this Paradox Phedion The fossil is only a few millimeters long. Georgalis estimated the full-size snake would have been about 3 feet long. The team used micro-CT scans to create a three-dimensional model of the fossil. Modeling shows the bones belong to a single species that has yet to be discovered.

Without a skull in the fossil fragments, scientists don’t have many clues about what ancient snakes ate. However, the vertebrae do provide some interesting information. Paradox Phedion It is a member of the early branch of the order Lizardida, which contains more than 80% of the snake species living today.

Tiny fossils offer new clues to snake evolution

The bones reveal strange characteristics that different snake species have today. Researchers name new species Paradox Phedion, Means “paradox snake” in Greek. its species name, Richardovigny, It is in memory of the British biologist Sir Richard Owen. Owen played a key role in the establishment of the Natural History Museum in London and named the first fossil snakes at Hodder Cliff.

“Describing an early divergent species of lizard-snake is particularly exciting because there isn’t much evidence of how they emerged,” said Jogalis.Paradox Phedion Let’s get closer to understanding how this happens. “

Ancient snake may have been the oldest member of the elephant-nosed snake family

Another interesting insight, Paradox Phedion Similar to modern non-venomous aquatic snakes called Acrochordids. Georgalis explains: “As Paradox Phedion Very similar to the crocodile snake, this snake may be the oldest known member of this family. If it is, then this could mean it’s an aquatic species, as all gyrosaurids are aquatic. “

The family Ophiidae is a family of non-venomous aquatic snakes found in Southeast Asia and Australia. They have loose, baggy skin and are commonly known as trunk snakes, rasp snakes and wart snakes. Scientists believe that Acrochordids branched off from the Colubroide family 50 million years ago.

What happens next?

To learn more about Paradox Phedion As to what family it belongs to, scientists will continue to investigate remaining snake fossils in museum collections. Researchers hope to find more clues about snake evolution. Joe Galis explained that there are many remains to study, including the bones of a giant water snakeguffis, and other differently shaped bones, which could even lead to the discovery of another new species.

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