Brazilian 80‑million‑year‑old snake fossil sheds light on early evolution

A well‑preserved fossil of the early snake Tametara mirim, dated to about 75–85 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous, was discovered in southeastern Brazil. The 42 cm specimen includes an articulated skull that reveals a brain shape and bone microstructure typical of a fossorial, or burrowing, lifestyle.

The find provides rare insight into snake origins, a period for which few fossils exist. Lead author Tiago Simoes, an evolutionary biology professor at Princeton University, notes that the specimen helps resolve long‑standing questions about how limbless snakes evolved from lizard ancestors. The study, published in *Nature*, marks the first articulated early‑snake skeleton reported from Brazil and adds crucial evidence supporting a burrowing origin for the group.