47-million-year-old snake found may be the biggest ever, surpassing Titanoboa
Scientists in India have discovered the fossil remains of the world's largest snake, over 50 feet (15 meters) long, around 6.5 feet (2 meters) and incredibly powerful. Giant, 47 million-year-old snake fossils pulled from mine in India may be the largest snake ever, potentially surpassing Titanoboa by around 15 feet.
The newly discovered species is called Vasuki Indicus. Its name comes from Vasuki, a famous snake from Hindu mythology. In stories, Vasuki is often shown wrapped around the neck of Lord Shiva, one of the main gods in Hinduism.
Over 50 feet long giant
snake fossils
discovered in India
The researchers used two different methods to estimate the possible body length of V. indicus. They estimated the serpent's total body length using the width of the snake's spine bones and found that V.
indicus could have ranged from between 36 feet and 50 feet (11 and 15 m) long, although they acknowledge there may be a possible error associated with their estimate. Both approaches relied on modern snakes to establish a link between vertebrae width and overall body length, but they used different datasets for their calculations.
The team thinks that the fossils found came from a fully grown adult. According to Live science, a total of 27 fossilized vertebrae from the enormous snake were unearthed at the Panandhro Lignite Mine in Gujarat State.
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The fossils date to around 47 million years ago, during the Eocene epoch (56 million to 33.9 million years ago). The researchers published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.
Vasuki Indicus, the giant snake found
Looking at the sites where ribs would attach to the vertebrae, the researchers think V. indicus had a broad, cylindrical body and mostly lived on land. Aquatic snakes, in comparison, tend to have very flat, streamline bodies. Due to its large size, the researchers say the snake was likely an ambush predator, subduing its prey by constriction, similar to modern-day anacondas.
The scientists estimate that V. indicus thrived in a warm climate with an average of around 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degree celsius)- a significantly warmer temperature than the present day. Datta said, 'There are still many things we don't know about Vasuki. We don't know about its muscles, how it used them or what it ate'.
Meet Titanoboa: The giant snake from the past
Around 60 million years ago, after the dinosaurs had vanished, an enormous snake called Titanoboa slithered through the hot, swampy jungles of what is now Colombia.
This prehistoric snake, which belonged to the boa family, wasn't poisonous—it killed by wrapping its powerful body around its prey and squeezing tight. Titanoboa was so huge that it likely ate large fish and even crocodiles. Fossils found deep in a coal mine in South America show that the Earth was much hotter back then, which may explain how this monster snake grew so big.
Titanoboa helps scientists understand more about the climate and wildlife after the age of dinosaurs. A life-sized model of this ancient beast now stuns museum visitors, reminding us that nature once produced creatures bigger and scarier than we ever imagined.
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