ISLAMABAD-Together with his colleague Hussam Zaher of the University in S\u00e3o Paulo, Senckenberg scientist Krister\u00a0Smith described the world\u2019s oldest known fossils of a python. The almost completely preserved snakes with a length around one meter were discovered in the UNESCO World Heritage Site \u201cMessel Pit\u201d and are about 47 million years old. The new python species, Messelopython freyi, was named in honor of paleontologist Eberhard \u201cDino\u201d Frey of the State Museum of Natural History in Karlsruhe. The study was published recently in the scientific journal Biology Letters.Reaching a length of more than six meters, pythons are among the world\u2019s largest snakes. Today, various species of these constrictors are found primarily in Africa, Southern and Southeast Asia, and Australia. \u201cThe geographic origin of pythons is still not clear. The discovery of a new python species in the Messel Pit is therefore a major leap forward in understanding these snakes\u2019 evolutionary history,\u201d explains Dr. Krister Smith of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD-Together with his colleague Hussam Zaher of the University in S\u00e3o Paulo, Senckenberg scientist Krister\u00a0Smith described the world\u2019s oldest known fossils of a python. The almost completely preserved snakes with a length around one meter were discovered in the UNESCO World Heritage Site \u201cMessel Pit\u201d […]<\/p>\n
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