- The newly discovered Madtsoiidae is an extinct group of medium-sized to gigantic snakes, initially, they appeared in the Cretaceous later they spread their population across Gondwana landmasses.
- Later they disappeared from all Gondwana continents except for Australia, since the last known Taxon by name of Wonambi was found in the Pleistocene period.
- According to records, the Pleistocene is the geological era that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago.
- As per fossil records, the existence of Madtsoiidae from the Oligocene of Ladakh shows their continuity at least to the end of the Paleogene period which last up to 43 million years ago, and they were present in the sub-continent for a much longer time than compared other areas.
- Many scientists believed that the global climatic shifts and the prominent biotic reorganization across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary did not cause the extinction of snakes in the sub-continent, especially in India.
- These discoveries of rare species of snake will open a way for scientists to study the environment and its impact on different kinds of species that existed at the time.
Question:
Q.1 Which among the following species of snake recently found in the mountains of Ladakh?a. Oligodon churahensis
b. Lycodon aulicus
c. Madtsoiidae
d. Russell's Viper
