First fossil snake from McFaddin Beach, Texas, USA

McFaddin Beach is an archeological and paleontological locality extending approximately 32 km along the coast of Jefferson County, Texas, USA. Vertebrate fosHolmesina, which indicates that at least some of the faunal material washed onto the beach is Pleistocene in age. A fossil snake was found on McFaddin Beach. It is a sample of partly cemented matrix containing more than 29 associated snake vertebrae, many in articulated sections. The fossil was CT-scanned and individual vertebrae were digitally segmented. Through this digital visualization, the vertebrae were identified to be from the precloacal trunk region. The snake was then qualitatively described and compared to the genera Lampropeltis (Kingsnakes), Pantherophis (Ratsnakes, Cornsnakes, and Foxsnakes), Rhinocheilus (Long-nosed snakes), and Cemophora (Scarlet snakes), which are all limited geographically to species currently present in southeastern North America. The fossil most resembled the genus Lampropeltis. The nearest fossils attributed to this genus are from Bee County, Texas, approximately 92 km from the modern Texas coast. This record expands prehistoric ranges of Lampropeltis to the continental shelf in times of low sea level.