An exceptionally preserved snake fossil from Brazil has revealed that early snakes were far more diverse than scientists once thought. The species, named Tametara mirim, is represented by one of the most complete fossil snake skeletons ever discovered. Using computed tomography and 3D rendering, the team created a detailed digital reconstruction of the specimen. The scans revealed features of the skull, vertebrae, and brain endocast that would have been difficult to study from the exposed bones alone. Postdoctoral researcher Simone Macrì and Research Director Nicolas Di-Poï connected the neuroanatomy of early snakes with their sensory abilities, habitats, and evolutionary history. The team compared Tametara with another fossil snake, Dinilysia patagonica, and found strikingly different brain shapes, suggesting they were adapted to distinct ways of life. Tametara was adapted to burrowing, while Dinilysia suited life on the ground. Other fossils point to marine lifestyles as well. The findings indicate that by 80 million years ago, snakes were already experimenting with very different habitats and sensory systems, rather than following a single ecological route.
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