Madtsoia is an extinct genus of madtsoiid snakes. It is known from the Eocene of Argentina (M. bai), the Paleocene of Brazil (M. camposi), the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of India (M. pisdurensis), and the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Madagascar (M. madagascariensis). The type species (M. bai) was the largest with an estimated length of 9–10 m (30–33 ft), and the other three species were smaller. A 5.1 m (17 ft) long M. madagascariensis would have weighed 50 kg (110 lb), but an isolated specimen suggests that this species reached 8 m (26 ft) in maximum length.
Distribution
Fossils of Madtsoia have been found in:
- Coniacian
- In Beceten Formation, Niger
- Campanian
- Laño, Spain
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
- Lameta Formation, India
- Maevarano Formation, Madagascar
- Eocene
- Casamayoran Sarmiento Formation, Argentina
- Itaboraian Las Flores Formation, Argentina and Itaboraí Formation, Brazil
References
Further reading
- Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature by Harry W. Greene
- In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods by Nicholas C. Fraser and Hans-Dieter Sues
External links
- Madtsoia in The Paleobiology Database
