A recent discovery made by a team of researchers in India has revealed that giant ancient snakes could have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton. The oversized snake, named Vasuki Indicus after the king of snakes in Hinduism, may belong to the largest snake species to have ever lived on Earth.
The fossilized spines of these colossal snakes were found at the Panandhro Lignite mine in Gujarat, dating back to about 47 million years ago during the Pleistocene era. Using two different methods based on modern snakes in the python family, the research team estimated that V. indicus could be between 11 and 15 meters long, making it potentially larger than the current record holder, the Titanoboa python.
Vasuki Indicus belonged to an extinct family of pythons and is believed to be an ambush predator, similar to the modern anaconda. The researchers speculate that this snake likely had a large, wide, cylindrical body and mainly lived on land. It is believed to have lived in a warm climate with an average temperature of about 28 degrees Celsius.
The research team hopes to further analyze carbon and oxygen in the fossils to learn more about the diet of V. indicus pythons. This discovery sheds light on the diversity and size of ancient snake species and offers valuable insights into the prehistoric world.
The study was conducted by Dr. Suresh Kumar from Punjab University’s Department of Geology and Dr. Nitin Prakash from Delhi University’s Department of Geology.
In conclusion, this discovery shows how diverse and huge ancient creatures were, providing us with new perspectives on life’s evolutionary history.
“This discovery highlights how much we still have to learn about our planet’s past,” said Dr. Kumar.
Furthermore, this find will also help researchers better understand how such massive animals could survive in a world without modern technology or resources.
“We are excited about what we might discover next,” said Dr. Prakash.”
