New Delhi:
Dinosaurs were once the most feared predators on the planet, striking fear even millions of years later. Now fresh evidence suggests that they themselves were humble prey some 57 million years ago, not by animals larger than them but by a snake dubbed 'sanajeh' or ancient gape that would feed on dinosaur hatchlings.
"In India, it's the first and also the oldest record of a snake. None have been found before this," said Dr D Mohabey from the Geological Survey of India.
The fossil was first found in Panchmahal in Gujarat in 1984. It's taken geologists almost a decade to successfully interpret it.
"This is a significant achievement for geologists considering snakes were very rare during the dinosaur era, land snakes even more so," said Jeff Wilson, Palentologist, University of Michigan.
"In India, it's the first and also the oldest record of a snake. None have been found before this," said Dr D Mohabey from the Geological Survey of India.
The fossil was first found in Panchmahal in Gujarat in 1984. It's taken geologists almost a decade to successfully interpret it.
"This is a significant achievement for geologists considering snakes were very rare during the dinosaur era, land snakes even more so," said Jeff Wilson, Palentologist, University of Michigan.
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