Receive 2 Authentic Palaeophis maghrebianus (Ancient Sea Snake) vertebra
Eocene
Khouribga Province, Morocco
The Palaeopheidae is a group of primitive extinct snakes that had a significant development in the Early Cenozoic, between the Paleocene and the Eocene (60 to 45 million years ago). Its fossil remains, mostly vertebrae, were discovered in several places on the planet: the eastern U.S.A., Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Morocco, Mali, Italy, Germany, and England. This large snake (could exceed nine feet in length), had to be quite similar to the current boa and pythons. In particular, the vertebrae of paleophid recall much of the border, which were probably close relatives. It's possible, however, that this animal was vaguely similar to the current sea snakes, and that the end of the tail was flattened laterally, having developed some adaptations to aquatic life.