Dinilysia

Dinilysia Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 85 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Illustration of the skull and vertebral column
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	†Dinilysiidae
Genus:	Dinilysia Woodward, 1901
Species
D. patagonica Woodward, 1901 (type)

Dinilysia (meaning "two lilies" or "two flowers") is an extinct genus of snake from the Late Cretaceous (Coniacian) of South America. The snake reached a length of 6-10 feet (1.8-3 meters) and preyed on smaller animals. The shape of the animal's skull doesn't support the suggestion that snakes were burrowers during their ancestry; it is clear that Dinilysia was terrestrial.

In popular culture

According to supplementary material posted online at the BBC website, Dinilysia was the snake that appeared in the final episode of the 1999 documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs. The creature was live-acted by a modern day red-tailed boa. However, the episode in question was set in North America, and Dinilysia lived some 20 million years before Tyrannosaurus and lived in South America.

References

• Caldwell, M.W. & Albino, A.A., 2002. Exceptionally preserved skeletons of the Cretaceous snake Dinilysia patagonica, Woodward, 1901. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22: 861-866.
• Fossils (Smithsonian Handbooks) by David Ward
• Dinosaurus: The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs by Steve Parker. Pg. 99
• Fossil Snakes of North America: Origin, Evolution, Distribution, Paleoecology (Life of the Past) by J. Alan Holman

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