Researchers in Tunisia discovered fossils of the largest in the world worm lizard who lived 50 million years ago during the Eocene epoch. They discovered the fossil during recent fieldwork in Jebel Chambi National Park, Tunisia, in North Africa. That’s what international researchers called itTherasiodontosaurus marcelosanchez.
With a skull measuring over five centimeters, these huge creatures are the largest known members Amphisbaenia group. The researchers also discovered that these giant worm lizards lived on the surface and had remarkable dental adaptations, including powerful jaws and specialized tooth enamel that allowed them to eat snails by crushing their shells. “The size estimates show that Terasiodontosaurus was the largest known amphisbaene to have ever existed, with an estimated skull length of over 5 cm. Based on new data on the muscles of Trogonophis, we estimate a very high bite force for Terastiodontosaurus that would have allowed it to crush a wide range of snails,” the study says.
An international group led by Prof. Dr. Georgios L. Georgalis from the Institute of Animal Taxonomy and Evolution of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow, together with researchers from the Senckenberg Research Institute and the Museum of Natural History in Frankfurt, the Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, the National Museum of Natural History in Paris and the National Directorate of Mining in Tunisia, described a previously unknown fossil species from a group of worm lizards in a new study.
According to researchers, the world’s largest worm lizard is related to the modern worm lizard. Therasiodontosaurus marcelosanchez is probably over 3 feet long.
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According to researchers, the world’s largest worm lizard looked straight out of a science fiction movie. “Visually, the animal can be imagined as a ‘sand worm’ from the Dune fantasy novels and their adaptations. “Based on the structure of the teeth and the unusually thick enamel, we can conclude that the animals had enormous muscle power in their jaws,” Dr. Georgios L. said in a recent press release. Georgalis, head of the study.
“We know that modern worm lizards like to eat snails by breaking their shells. We can now assume that this lineage specialized in feeding on snails more than 56 million years ago and was able to split them effortlessly with its powerful jaws. So this feeding strategy is extremely consistent – it defied all environmental changes and accompanies the pedigree to this day,” Georgalis added.
Author: Jaime Chirinas
