Snake titanoboa - the giant great-grandmother of the modern boa

Speaking of giant reptiles, we often imagine a boa constrictor or an anaconda. Scientists have long assumed that in the prehistoric world there were larger animals of this class. These conjectures received scientific confirmation only in 2009 thanks to an unexpected archaeological find. And now we know for sure that the titanoboa snake is the largest one that ever existed on our planet.

Sensational archaeological find

In 2009, during excavations, coal mines of Colombia were found fossils of a giant snake. The remains were in fairly good condition and allowed to study in detail an unknown animal science earlier. Specialists managed to collect and restore the complete skeleton of the snake.

The ancient reptile belongs to the Paleocene epoch. The giant snake was named "Titanoboa" (Titanoboa cerrejonensis), which literally translates as "Boa constrictor". Scientists suggest that these monsters appeared about 10 million years after the dinosaurs died out. It turns out that the giant reptiles lived in the territory of modern Colombia about 60 million years ago.

What is the length of a giant snake?

Found during archaeological excavations fossils allow you to completely reconstruct the appearance and outstanding dimensions of the ancient monster. Scientists have found out that the snake titanoboa reached a length of 15 meters. At the same time, the thickness of the reptile's body surpassed the waist of the average person. In its thickest place, the girth of the snake's body could reach 100 centimeters.

Direct descendants of titanoboa are modern boas. Presumably, the ancient monster also entwined and squeezed its prey in the fatal embrace. But during the meal the extinct snake titanoboi resembled the modern anaconda. This reptile could swallow almost any animal and was on top of the food chain. According to the calculations of experts, the weight of a well-titled titanoboa could exceed 1 ton.

Interesting facts about the snake-record holder

Like its descendants, the titanoboa snake was not poisonous. Due to its size and developed musculature, this reptile easily coped with adult alligators.

The discovery of the fossilized remains of a giant snake gave reason to think about the climatic conditions in the habitats of the animal. Most scientists agree that the reptile felt great in a hot and humid tropical climate. Some experts, on the contrary, believe that the average annual temperature in the study area has risen by several degrees over the past millions of years. According to their calculations, the giant snake produced too much metabolic heat during the digestion of food. At excessively high temperatures, the reptile would simply overheat.

The only thing that converges scientists is that titanoboa is an extinct species of snakes that can hunt in water and on land. Despite its fantastic size, the reptile moved as fast as its modern descendants. And this means that the animal chosen by the snake as a prey simply had no chance.

Titanoboa in art and mass culture

Legends of giant snakes are present in the cultural traditions of many countries in the world. Who knows, perhaps our ancestors did sometimes meet with the descendants of the Titanoboa, which surpass the size of modern boas?

The skeleton of a giant ancient snake is exhibited today in the New York Museum, and anyone can see it with their own eyes. In the National Museum of Natural History (Washington), you can contemplate a striking sculpture. There, in the middle of the exhibition hall, a titanoboi made in its real-life scale swallows an alligator.

The National Geographic Society created a detailed documentary about the giant reptile. Appears titanoboa and in modern art in the form of an ancient eerie monster. For example, this snake can be seen in the second series of the series "Jurassic Portal: The New World".

And are there giant snakes today?

More recently, the very existence of such a large snake was only a bold hypothesis. And what if the animals like titanoboa still live in the least explored corners of our planet? This assumption is made even by authoritative researchers from time to time. However, to date, it could not be confirmed.

Record champions in the world of creeping are still boa and anaconda. Descendants of the legendary titanoboa - modern pythons - usually have a length of up to 10 meters. Anaconda is considered to be the heaviest snake, the weight of an individual can reach 95 kilograms.

Do not just imagine an ancient giant looking at modern snake photos. Titanoboa surpassed the length of a standard passenger bus, and with ease could swallow an adult.