The world's oldest snake was found in a piece of Amber in Myanmar, a site famous for its wealth of fossils. This fossilized baby snake will provide clues about the existence of the species in general. The fossil dates back to 100-million-years old and apparently, the species lived in the times of Tyrannosaurus rex which roamed on the Earth back then. This discovery points to the ecological diversity and scientists also uncovered a second snake fossil with skin fragments and visible scales. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances. Rajasthan Was Under the Sea? 47-Million-Year-Old Fish Fossils Discovered in Deserts Suggest So!

The published study documents snakes as "exceptional and unexpected insights into the evolution of one of nature’s most successful and iconic animal groups." The co-author of study Paleontologist Michael Caldwell said, "this snake is linked to ancient snakes from Argentina, Africa, India and Australia. It is an important – and until now, missing – component of understanding snake evolution." The amber fragment in which the fossil was found provided a clue about the environment of this snake. According to the study the snake was living in a forested environment along with numerous insects and plants. 'First Giant' Dinosaur Found in Argentina, Fossil Weighing Around 10 Tons Uncovered!

Talking about the snake evolution, Caldwell said, "refines our understanding of early snake evolution, as 100-million-year-old snakes are known from only 20 or so relatively complete fossil snake species. There is a great deal of new information preserved in this new fossilized baby snake." This fossil has been the oldest one yet unearthed from a prehistoric site. This fossil is made up of 97 bones and represents half the vertebrae of intact snake, either of a newborn or maybe a fetus. What's intriguing is the head of the snake is missing. On anatomical analysis, the scientists found the development of backbone seems to have changed in the years. Myanmar is a treasure trove of exciting fossil discoveries from the Cretaceous period, and this discovery proves to be an important one.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2018 11:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).