The Pleistocene serpent Wonambi and the early evolution of snakes (original) (raw)

Nature volume 403, pages 416–420 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

The Madtsoiidae were medium sized to gigantic snakes with a fossil record extending from the mid-Cretaceous to the Pleistocene, and spanning Europe, Africa, Madagascar, South America and Australia1,2,3. This widely distributed group survived for about 90 million years (70% of known ophidian history), and potentially provides important insights into the origin and early evolution of snakes. However, madtsoiids are known mostly from their vertebrae, and their skull morphology and phylogenetic affinities have been enigmatic. Here we report new Australian material of Wonambi, one of the last-surviving madtsoiids4,5,6, that allows the first detailed assessment of madtsoiid cranial anatomy and relationships. Despite its recent age, which could have overlapped with human history in Australia, Wonambi is one of the most primitive snakes known—as basal as the Cretaceous forms Pachyrhachis7 and Dinilysia8. None of these three primitive snake lineages shows features associated with burrowing, nor do any of the nearest lizard relatives of snakes (varanoids). These phylogenetic conclusions contradict the widely held ‘subterranean’ theory of snake origins9,10,11,12, and instead imply that burrowing snakes (scolecophidians and anilioids) acquired their fossorial adaptations after the evolution of the snake body form and jaw apparatus in a large aquatic or (surface-active) terrestrial ancestor.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rage, J. C. Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie. Teil 11. Serpentes (Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart, 1984).
    Google Scholar
  2. McDowell, S. B. in Snakes: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (eds Seigel, R. A., Collins, J. T. C. & Novak, S. S.) 1–50 (Macmillan, New York, 1987).
    Google Scholar
  3. Rage, J. C. Fossil snakes from the Paleocene of São José de Itaboraí, Brazil. Part I. Madtsoiidae, Aniliidae. Palaeovertebrata 27, 109–144 (1998).
    Google Scholar
  4. Smith, M. J. Small fossil vertebrates from Victoria Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia. IV. Reptiles. Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust. 100, 39–51 (1976).
    ADS Google Scholar
  5. Barrie, D. J. Skull elements and associated remains of the Pleistocene boid snake Wonambi naracoortensis. Mem. Qd Mus. 28, 139 –151 (1990).
    Google Scholar
  6. Scanlon, J. D. First records from Wellington Caves, New South Wales, of the extinct madtsoiid snake Wonambi naracoortensis Smith, 1976. Proc. Linn. Soc. NSW 115, 233–238 ( 1995).
    Google Scholar
  7. Lee, M. S. Y. & Caldwell, M. W. Anatomy and relationships of Pachyrhachis problematicus, a primitive snake with hindlimbs. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 353, 1521– 1552 (1998).
    Article Google Scholar
  8. Estes, R., Frazzetta, T. H. & Williams, E. E. Studies on the fossil snake Dinilysia patagonica Woodward: Part 1. Cranial morphology. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harv. 140, 25–74 ( 1970).
    Google Scholar
  9. Walls, G. L. Ophthalmological implications for the early history of snakes. Copeia 1940, 1–8 ( 1940).
    Article Google Scholar
  10. Bellairs, A. d'A. & Underwood, G. The origin of snakes. Biol. Rev. 26, 193– 237 (1951).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  11. Underwood, G. A Contribution to the Classification of Snakes (British Museum (Natural History), London, 1967).
    Google Scholar
  12. Rieppel, O. A review of the origin of snakes. Evol. Biol. 22, 37–130 (1988).
    Article Google Scholar
  13. Archer, M., Hand, S. J., Godthelp, H. & Creaser, P. in Actes du Congrès Biochrom '97 (eds. Aguilar, J.-P., Legendre, S. & Michaux, J.) 131–152 (École Pratique des Hautes Études Institute de Montpelier, Montpelier, 1997).
    Google Scholar
  14. Scanlon, J. D. Nanowana gen. nov., small madtsoiid snakes from the Miocene of Riversleigh: sympatric species with divergently specialised dentition. Mem. Qd Mus. 41, 393–412 ( 1997).
    Google Scholar
  15. LaDuke, T. C. The fossil snakes of Pit 91, Rancho La Brea, California. Nat. Hist. Mus. LA County Contrib. Sci. 424, 1– 28 (1991).
    Google Scholar
  16. Frazzetta, T. H. Studies on the fossil snake Dinilysia patagonica Woodward. II. Jaw machinery in the earliest snakes. Forma et Functio 3, 205–221 (1970).
    Google Scholar
  17. Cundall, D. Feeding behaviour in Cylindrophis and its bearing on the evolution of alethinophidian snakes. J. Zool. 237, 353–376 (1995).
    Article Google Scholar
  18. Lee, M. S. Y. Convergent evolution and character correlation in burrowing reptiles: towards a resolution of squamate phylogeny. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 65, 369–453 (1998).
    Article Google Scholar
  19. Underwood, G. in Morphology and Biology of Reptiles (eds Bellairs, A. d'A. & Cox, C. B.) 151–175 (Academic, London, 1976).
    Google Scholar
  20. Woodward, A. S. On some extinct reptiles from Patagonia, of the genera Miolania, Dinilysia, and Genyodectes. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1901, 169–184 (1901).
    Article Google Scholar
  21. Zaher, H. The phylogenetic position of Pachyrhachis within snakes (Squamata, Lepidosauria). J. Vert. Paleontol. 18, 1 –3 (1998).
    Article Google Scholar
  22. Kluge, A. G. Boine snake phylogeny and research cycles. Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan 178, 1–58 (1991).
    Google Scholar
  23. Cundall, D., Wallach, V. & Rossman, D. S. The systematic relationships of the snake genus Anomochilus. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 109, 275–299 (1993).
    Article Google Scholar
  24. Heise, P. J., Maxson, L. R., Dowling, H. G. & Hedges, S. B. Higher-level snake phylogeny inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences of 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes. Mol. Biol. Evol. 12, 259–265 (1995).
    CAS PubMed Google Scholar
  25. Hecht, M. K. The vertebral morphology of the Cretaceous snake, Dinilysia patagonica Woodward. N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Mh. 1982, 523–532 (1982).
    Google Scholar
  26. Nopcsa, F. Eidolosaurus und Pachyophis. Zwei neue Neocom-Reptilien. Palaeontographica 65, 99–154 (1923).
    Google Scholar
  27. Cope, E. D. On the reptilian orders Pythonomorpha and Streptosauria. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 12, 250–266 (1869).
    Google Scholar
  28. Janensch, W. Über Archaeophis proavus Mass., eine Schlange aus dem Eocän des Monte Bolca. Beitr. z. Paläont. Geol. Österreich-Ungarns 19, 1–33 (1906 ).
    Google Scholar
  29. Wallach, V. & Rainer, G. Visceral anatomy of the Malaysian snake genus Xenophidion, including a cladistic analysis and allocation to a new family. Amphibia–Reptilia 19, 385–404 (1998).
    Article Google Scholar
  30. Swofford, D. L. PAUP* Version 4—Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (*and Other Methods). Computer program and documentation. (Sinauer, Sunderland, Massachusetts, 1999).
    Google Scholar

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank D. J. Barrie, M. Archer, R. E. Molnar, N. Pledge and R. T. Wells for access to materials, and V. Wallach, G. Underwood, J.-C. Rage, D. J. Barrie, S. E. Evans, H. W. Greene, D. Cundall, M. W. Caldwell and A. G. Kluge for discussion. This research was supported by Australian Research Council grants to M.L. and J.S. Work at Riversleigh was supported by the Australian Research Council and University of New South Wales (to M. Archer), and work at Naracoorte by Flinders University, the South Australian Museum, L. and G. Henschke, the Barrie family and numerous volunteers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia
    John D. Scanlon & Michael S. Y. Lee
  2. Department of Biological Sciences University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia
    John D. Scanlon

Authors

  1. John D. Scanlon
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
  2. Michael S. Y. Lee
    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence toJohn D. Scanlon.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Scanlon, J., Lee, M. The Pleistocene serpent Wonambi and the early evolution of snakes .Nature 403, 416–420 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35000188

Download citation