Laophis

Laophis
Temporal range: Pliocene
↓
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Viperidae
Genus: †Laophis
Species:
†L. crotaloides
Binomial name
†Laophis crotaloides
(Owen, 1857)

Laophis (From Ancient Greek, stone snake)[1] is a genus of viperid snake currently containing one known species that lived during the Pliocene in Northern Greece.[2] Few fossil vertebrae of this species was found in Thessaloniki, Greece.[3] It reached a total length possibly exceeding 4 m (13 ft)[2] and a mass of up to 26 kg (57 lb), making this perhaps the largest viper discovered yet.[4][2] Originally described by Sir Richard Owen, the original fossils had been lost, until rediscovery of a single vertebra was discovered somewhere near Thessaloniki in 2014.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ Georgios Georgalis (2016). "New material of Laophis crotaloides, an enigmatic giant snake from Greece, with an overview of the largest fossil European vipers". researchgate.net. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Georgalis, Georgios (2014). "Rediscovery of Laophis crotaloides – the world's largest viper?". ResearchGate.
  3. ^ Owen, R. (1857). "On the Fossil Vertebrae of a Serpent (Laophis crotaloides, Ow.) discovered by Capt. Spratt, R.N., in a Tertiary Formation at Salonica". Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. 13 (1–2): 196–199. doi:10.1144/GSL.JGS.1857.013.01-02.28. S2CID 131142130.
  4. ^ Pappas, Stephanie (2014). "Biggest Venomous Snake Ever Revealed in New Fossils". LiveScience.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  5. ^ Pappas, Stephanie (2014). "Biggest Venomous Snake Ever Revealed in New Fossils". LiveScience.com.
  6. ^ Kear, Benjamin P. (2014). "Rediscovery of Laophis crotaloides – the worlds [sic] largest viper?". academia.edu.


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