Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 40(2) 1997

Issue:

VOL 40(2) 1997

Keywords:

Reptilia, Serpentes, Sauria, determination, osteology, Lower Pleistocene, palaeoecology, Poland

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Old Biharian reptiles of Żabia Cave (Poland)

• Martin IVANOV

Abstract:

At the Żabia Cave locality (Old Biharian), altogether 8 taxa have been recognized, belonging to reptiles commonly widespread in the Central European area: Natrix natrix, Natrix cf. tessellata, Natrix sp., Elaphe longissima, Coronella austriaca, cf. Coronella sp., Vipera berus and Lacerta sp. The snake vertebrae are of high intraspecific morphological variability, which is particularly true of the shapes of hemal keels of the Colubrinae (or hypapophyses of the Natricinae) and the shapes of the anterior border of the zygosphenal lips. The knowledge of this intraspecific variability could be helpful in determining the fossil material. The finding of Natrix cf. tessellata at the Żabia Cave locality is the northernmost European fossil discovery of this species. Correlation of the reptile assemblage with rodents has shown that the reptiles (and especially snakes) reflect negligible changes of the climate more distinctly than do small mammals.