ABSTRACT

Two isolated vertebrae of the giant aquatic snake Pterosphenus schucherti Lucas were recently discovered in deposits of the late Eocene Jackson Group near Forrest City, Arkansas. This is the first record of the species in deposits of the Mississippi Embayment, and its westernmost occurrence in North America. The fauna associated with the Arkansas specimens of P. schucherti contains marine, freshwater, and terrestrial forms indicative of estuarine environment. A review of the faunas associated with the previously reported specimens of P. schucherti also indicates that their burial occurred under hyposaline conditions. This implies that P. schucherti inhabited Eocene estuaries rather than seas.