This strange ancient snake was hiding in a museum for decades

Ancient snake fossils discovered in 1981 at England's Hordle Cliff sat unidentified in museum collections for over 40 years before scientists recently recognized them as a new species called Paradoxophidion richardoweni. This 37-million-year-old snake represents an early member of caenophidians, the group containing most modern snake species, displaying a puzzling mix of traits now found across different snake families. The discovery helps fill gaps in understanding how today's most advanced snakes evolved during England's much warmer prehistoric climate.