Extinct Animals News

[Ngala]

Fossil snake preserving three trophic levels and evidence for an ontogenetic dietary shift Smith & Scanferla, 2016

*This image is copyright of its original author

Fig. 1 SMF ME 11332a, comprising a juvenile specimen of the snake Palaeopython fischeri and its prey. Arrow points to the tip of the snout of the lizard inside the snake

*This image is copyright of its original author

Fig. 2 a Interpretive drawing of SMF ME 11332a overlaid on a photograph. The lizard, Geiseltaliellus maarius (orange), is preserved in the stomach of the snake (white). The lizard was swallowed headfirst, and the tail does not appear to have been shed during the encounter with the snake. The position of the insect in the abdominal cavity of the lizard is indicated in outline (blue). All Rights Reserved. b, c CT reconstruction of the snake skull in right ventrolateral and left dorsolateral views, respectively. d CT reconstruction of mid-trunk vertebrae of the snake in dorsal view. e Photograph of mid-trunk vertebrae of the snake in ventral view. f Part of the string of vertebrae, to the same scale, comprising the holotype of Palaeopython fischeri (SMF ME 929), four trunk vertebrae in dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views (after Schaal 2004), showing the significant size difference between the holotype and the new specimen. Abbreviations: bo basioccipital, bs-ps basiparasphenoid, ec ectopterygoid, fr frontal, lm left mandible, mx maxilla, n nasal, p parietal, pfr prefrontal, pl palatine, pmx premaxilla, pt pterygoid, q quadrate, rm right mandible, so supraoccipital, st supratemporal. Published with kind permission of ©Krister T. Smith 2016

Abstract:
"We report a fossil snake from the middle Eocene (48 Ma) Messel Pit, in whose stomach is a lizard, in whose stomach is an insect. This is the second known vertebrate fossil containing direct evidence of three trophic levels. The snake is identified as a juvenile of Palaeopython fischeri on the basis of new characters of the skull; the lizard is identified as Geiseltaliellus maarius, a stem-basilisk; and the insect, despite preserved structural colouration, could not be identified more precisely. G. maarius is thought to have been an arboreal species, but like its extant relatives may have foraged occasionally on the ground. Another, larger specimen of G. maarius preserves plant remains in the digestive tract, suggesting that omnivory in this species may have been common in larger individuals, as in extant Basiliscus and Polychrus. A general picture of the trophic ecology of P. fischeri is not yet possible, although the presence of a lizard in the stomach of a juvenile individual suggests that this snake could have undergone a dietary shift, as in many extant boines."

Other articles related:
Amazing ‘Nesting Doll’ Fossil Reveals Bug in Lizard in Snake Reply