Species · GBIF taxon 4968164
Dinilysia patagonica
Dinilysia patagonicaDinilysia patagonica is a pivotal stem snake known from exceptionally preserved Cretaceous fossils in Patagonia. Its heavy skull and large inner ear vestibules indicate a semi-fossorial lifestyle, hunting from subterranean burrows across arid floodplains. With mobile cranial joints foreshadowing modern macrostomatans, it swallowed relatively large prey whole by constricting or overpowering small vertebrates.
FossilCarnivore
Licensed referenceJ. Green / Public domain · cc0
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Dryolestoid mammals
- Small sphenodontians
- Hatchling dinosaurs
Predators
- Abelisaurid theropods
- Notosuchian crocodyliforms
ThreatsLate Cretaceous environmental shifts and faunal turnover
HabitatsSemi-arid floodplains and sand-dune scrublands
Life span15–25 years (estimated)
Classification
- FamilyDinilysiidae
- SpeciesDinilysia patagonica
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Extinct; known exclusively from Late Cretaceous fossil deposits.
Responsible observation
- Fossil study: Inspect well-preserved braincases in university and museum collections.
- Field ethics: Leave exposed fossil material undisturbed in situ and report findings to authorities.
Ecological Counterpart Jeffrey A. Wilson, Dhananjay M. Mohabey, Shanan E. Peters, Jason J. Head / CC BY 2.5 · cc-by
Close Relative Paleoninja / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Distant Relative Rique / CC0 · cc0
Convergent Relative Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
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