A 37-million-year-old snake fossil discovered at Hordle Cliff in England has been identified as a new species, Paradoxophidion richardoweni. The tiny vertebrae fossil sat unnoticed in the Natural History Museum collection for more than 40 years before researchers recognized it as something new. The species is an early-branching member of the caenophidians — the group that includes over 80% of today's living snake species.

The fossil may represent the oldest known relative of modern elephant trunk snakes (family Acrochordidae), hinting that it could have been aquatic. Millions of years ago, England was a much different place than it is today. In the Late Eocene, England was rich with tropical, swampy forests — the perfect habitat for reptiles. A newly found snake species, discovered from a fossil dug up in southern England in 1981, dates back 37 million years.

The unusual species sheds light on the evolution of snakes in the British Isles. The research team used micro CT scans to create three-dimensional models of the fossils. The models revealed the bones belonged to a single species that hadn't yet been discovered. Because the fossil pieces did not contain a skull, scientists don't have many clues about what the ancient snake ate. However, the vertebrae do provide some fascinating information.