Messelopython freyi remains were recovered from a quarry near Darmstadt
The head and body of Messelopython freyi are almost completely preserved
Scientists have identified the world s earliest python from 47 million-year-old fossils recovered from a quarry in southwest Germany.
Remains of the new python species, called Messelopython freyi, were discovered in Messel Pit, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near the German city of Darmstadt.
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Researchers report in a new paper that the completely preserved species had a length of just over three feet (one metre).
M. freyi, both a new species and a new genus, is the oldest known fossil record of a python anywhere in the world, researchers say.