An ancient reptile has been discovered near Paris. This is evidence of snake migration.

Boas are snakes from the constrictor family, a group that also includes pythons, anacondas, and European saurischians. However, they should not be confused with Aesculapian snakes, which are often misclassified as constrictors, even though they do not belong to that group. Typical members of the boa genus inhabit tropical regions of the Americas.

However, there are exceptions—for example, Dumeril's boa and Madagascar boa, which are found in Madagascar. Their presence outside the Americas has long raised questions among herpetologists. Some suggest they are close cousins ​​of the American boa, while others suggest they only superficially resemble their western relatives and belong to a separate subfamily.

While most studies of boa evolution have focused on the Western Hemisphere, a discovery in France suggests their history may be more complex. A new species of snake discovered in Cuis, a few dozen kilometers east of Paris, suggests this.

A snake from French soil and a Polish laboratory

The snake found near Reims belongs to the genus Cheilophis, previously known only from North America, dating back millions of years. The remains were jointly described by Dr. Georgios Georgalis from the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow and Dr. Bastien Mennecart from the Natural History Museum in Basel. Poland's involvement in the research makes this discovery even more exceptional.

The animal, named Cheilophis periplanetes, was about a meter long. Dr. Georgalis explains that the snake belongs to a North American genus, which is surprising in itself. "Probably via Greenland, in the very warm climate observed during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum," the scientist concludes.

Tropical Europe, snakes migrate through Greenland

The Cuis discovery dates back to 49 million years ago, a moment in Earth's history when Europe's climate was as hot as it had been since the time of the dinosaurs. Temperatures reached tropical levels—ideal conditions for reptiles like constrictors.

It was then that the so-called Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum occurred—a global episode of extreme warming that enabled the migration of many animal species. Europe and North America were much closer together at that time, and the vast landmass of present-day Greenland formed a kind of bridge between the continents.

Cheilophis was previously known from a few finds in North America from the Paleocene and Eocene periods. This new European representative of the genus shares many features with its American relatives, but also has significant differences.

New species, new conclusions

"However, there are also significant differences that allow us to recognize it as a new congeneric species (related by features and structure). If our identification is correct, this would be the first record of Cheilophis constrictors and another common genus of terrestrial vertebrates for Europe and North America," the scientists emphasize in their publication.

This is important information because it proves that snakes like boas could migrate freely between continents when the climate was favorable. The movement of constrictors through ancient land routes changes our understanding of their evolution and also demonstrates the significant impact climate change has on animal distribution.

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