Dinilysia

Name meaning:

Named in honor of Alfredo Dini

Period of life:

85 million years ago

Period:

Cretaceous period

Habitat:

Deserts and semi-deserts

Taxonomy:

Lizards and snakes

Countries:

Cretaceous period Dinilysia | 3D Dinopedia

Aquilolamna

Tetrapodophis

Dinilysia (85 million years ago)

What does the name mean: the name Dinilysia comes from the Greek word deinos — “terrible” and the obsolete genus name Ilysia, formerly applied to the modern coral snake Anilius scytale.

Dinilysia patagonica was an extinct genus of snakes that lived during the Late Cretaceous, in the Coniacian Age (approximately 89 million years ago). Its fossil remains were discovered in Argentina, in Neuquén Province, within the Anacleto Formation.

Dinilysia patagonica was a predatory snake about 2 meters long. The structure of its skull shows similarities to modern boas (Boidae), which may indicate the ability to hunt relatively large prey.

It is assumed that Dinilysia patagonica led a terrestrial or semi-fossorial lifestyle. It may have been capable of detecting ground vibrations, which helped it locate prey and avoid predators.

The habitat of Dinilysia patagonica included various landscapes of Late Cretaceous South America. It is assumed that it may have inhabited relatively dry environments, although the exact environmental characteristics remain under study.

Dinilysia patagonica apparently was an ambush predator. Its diet probably included small vertebrates such as lizards and early mammals.

Dinilysia patagonica represents an important subject for the study of early snake evolution. Features of its anatomy, including the structure of the inner ear, provide information about the origin of fossorial and terrestrial lifestyles in this group.

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