Extinct snakes and incredible facts about them

Time of India

22-05-2025

Image created via Canva AI
Snakes have slithered through the planet's history for over 160 million years, but their beginnings are still full of question marks. Scientists agree they came from lizards, but which ones? And why ditch the legs? No one's quite sure.
What we do know is that once snakes found their niche, they went wild—evolving into everything from burrowers with tiny limbs to monsters the size of buses. Some could crush prey with shocking force, others had traits that feel more sci-fi than fossil. Here's a look back at ten extinct snakes that prove nature has always had a flair for the dramatic.
Eophis
If snakes had a family photo album, Eophis would be page one. Discovered in a quarry near Oxford, this 167-million-year-old fossil is the oldest snake known to science.
It lived in the Middle Jurassic, sharing its ecosystem with dinosaurs like Megalosaurus. But Eophis wasn't some towering predator—it was barely 25cm (about 10 inches) long, roughly the size of a pencil.
Incredible Facts:
– Eophis lived in swampy wetlands and likely hunted insects, tadpoles, and small fish.
– It had recurved, hook-like teeth that faced backward, suggesting it was already developing a snake-like feeding method.
– It possibly retained tiny hind limbs, linking it directly to its lizard ancestors.
– Its fossil evidence has pushed back the timeline of snake evolution by over 60 million years.
– Scientists consider it a transitional species that bridges the evolutionary gap between leggy lizards and modern snakes.
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Titanoboa
Forget anacondas. Titanoboa was the true heavyweight champ of the snake world, stretching up to 13 meters long—and some models even push it to 14.6! That's longer than a bus, and this thing was real.
It ruled the Paleocene rainforests of what's now Colombia, a region that was hot, wet, and perfect for cold-blooded giants. Titanoboa likely ambushed prey in river systems, swallowing massive fish and even crocodiles.
Incredible Facts:
– Titanoboa had fishhook-shaped teeth that helped it anchor and subdue struggling prey.
– It was likely capable of swallowing young turtles whole.
– Its massive size is believed to be a result of extremely warm equatorial temperatures.
– Female Titanoboas might have grown even larger than males, which is rare in modern reptiles.
– Its extinction may have been due to cooling climates and the loss of its wetland habitat.
Madtsoia
Madtsoia wasn't the biggest, but it was one of the most resilient. This ancient snake lived through the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. How? Simple: low-maintenance living. Being cold-blooded meant it didn't need much food, so it could outlast the post-asteroid famine while bigger, hungrier animals starved.
Originally preying on small dinos, it later switched to mammals and birds.
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Incredible Facts:
– Madtsoia was part of the Madtsoiidae family, which included other giant prehistoric snakes like Gigantophis.
– It may have killed its prey through constriction, although scientists still debate this.
– Some evidence suggests it hunted crocodiles after the dinosaur extinction.
– Its ability to survive with minimal food showcases how a 'lazy' metabolism can be a huge survival advantage.
Sanajeh
Sanajeh lived in what's now India about 70 million years ago, and it had a pretty shady side hustle: raiding dinosaur nests. Fossils found near sauropod eggs—and even a baby dinosaur—paint a clear picture. This 3.5-meter snake lurked near nesting grounds, picking off hatchlings before they got too big to handle. Unlike modern pythons, its jaws didn't open super wide, so newborns were just the right size.
Incredible Facts:
– Sanajeh targeted titanosaur hatchlings, making it a specialized predator of baby dinosaurs.
– It may have also fed on small theropods and mammals when available.
– It belonged to the same ancient snake family as Madtsoia and Wonambi, known as the madtsoiids.
– Its behavior proves that some prehistoric snakes were not just ambush predators but opportunistic hunters as well.
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Haasiophis
Most snakes ditched their legs ages ago—but not Haasiophis. This ancient marine snake lived nearly 95 million years ago in warm, shallow seas and still rocked a pair of tiny but fully formed hind limbs.
Hip, knee, ankle—it had the full setup, although it didn't walk with them. Instead, it swam like an eel, whipping its body side to side.
Incredible Facts:
– Haasiophis is one of the very few snake species known to possess actual limbs.
– These limbs may have been evolutionary leftovers or a rare case of limb regrowth.
– It was closely related to Pachyrhachis, another legged marine snake.
– It lived in the warm, shallow seas of the ancient Middle East, showcasing how marine snakes once retained legs.
Vasuki
Discovered in 2024 and already making headlines, Vasuki might just challenge Titanoboa's throne. Found in India's Gujarat state, this prehistoric beast could've stretched up to 15 meters long—yes, longer than Titanoboa, depending on how you do the math. Named after the mythical Hindu serpent, Vasuki wasn't purely aquatic like its South American rival. It roamed swampy forests, hunting in and out of water.
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Incredible Facts:
– Vasuki may have grown up to 15 meters long, potentially making it the longest snake ever discovered.
– It belonged to the Madtsoiidae family, placing it alongside prehistoric snakes like Madtsoia and Sanajeh.
– Its diet could have included crocodilians, massive turtles, and even early whale species.
– It lived around 47 million years ago in a wet, tropical environment that supported large cold-blooded predators.
Pachyrhachis
Think Haasiophis was weird for having legs? Meet Pachyrhachis, another ancient sea snake that didn't get the memo about evolving away from limbs.
Discovered in Israel, this 95-million-year-old snake had small but clearly defined back legs, complete with hip, knee, and ankle joints—making it look like a snake still clinging to its lizard roots.
Incredible Facts:
– Like Haasiophis, Pachyrhachis swam with an undulating motion, similar to modern eels.
– It lived in the same warm, shallow seas during the Late Cretaceous period.
– Its name, which means 'thick spine,' refers to its unusually dense vertebrae, likely used to help it dive.
– It remains one of the best fossil examples of the evolutionary shift from legged reptiles to fully limbless snakes.