Laophis
Laophis (From Ancient Greek, People's snake) is a genus of viperid snake currently containing one known species that lived during the Pliocene in Northern Greece.[1] Few fossil vertebrae of this species was found in Thessaloniki, Greece.[2] It reached a total length of 3–4 m (10–13 ft), making this perhaps the largest viper discovered yet.[1] 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.[3][4]
| Laophis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | †Laophis |
| Species: | †L. crotaloides |
| Binomial name | |
| †Laophis crotaloides (Owen, 1857) | |
References
- Georgalis, Georgios (2014). "Rediscovery of Laophis crotaloides – the world's largest viper?". ResearchGate.
- 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.
- Pappas, Stephanie (2014). "Biggest Venomous Snake Ever Revealed in New Fossils". LiveScience.com.
- Kear, Benjamin P. (2014). "Rediscovery of Laophis crotaloides – the worlds [sic] largest viper?". academia.edu.
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