Publication details
Histoire et origine géographique des faunes de serpents en Europe
| Title in English | History and geographic origin of snake faunas in Europe |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2000 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Bulletin de la Société Herpétologique de France |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Ecology |
| Keywords | Cainozoic; Europe; Mesozoic; palaeogeography; Quaternary; Snakes |
| Description | In Europe, three distinct assemblages of snake are aparent: 1) that of the mid-Cretaceous comprised primitive snakes not closely related to living snakes; they were mostly marine. 2) from the latest Cretaceous to the Oligocene-Miocene boundary the fauna was more modern. The Boidae represented the ruling group. Prior to the "Grande Coupure", the fauna displayed a Euro-American pattern, whereas after that event it was a Euro-Asian fauna. 3) A clearly modern assemblage began to take form in the earliest Miocene; since that time, the Colubridae have been the dominant forms. The climatic deterioration of the late Pliocene and Quaternary has affected the latter assemblage, which has led to the impoverished present fauna. |