Researchers have discovered the remains of an ancient giant snake near a coal mine in India, which they believe could have been longer than a school bus and weighed as much as a ton. The findings, reported on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest that the snake stretched an estimated 36 to 50 feet in length, making it comparable to the largest known snake, Titanoboa, which once lived in present-day Colombia and measured about 42 feet.
The newly discovered snake, named Vasuki indicus after the mythical snake king in Hindu mythology, lived 47 million years ago in the swampy evergreen forests of western India. Researchers estimate that it could have weighed up to 2,200 pounds, making it significantly larger than the reticulated python, which is the largest living snake today at 33 feet in length.
According to study co-author Debajit Datta from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Vasuki was likely a slow-moving ambush predator that relied on constriction to subdue its prey. The snake’s backbone fragments were discovered in 2005 by co-author Sunil Bajpai near Kutch, Gujarat. By comparing more than 20 fossil vertebrae to the skeletons of living snakes, the researchers were able to estimate Vasuki’s size.
While the exact diet of Vasuki remains unknown, fossils found nearby suggest that the snake lived in swampy areas alongside catfish, turtles, crocodiles, and primitive whales, which may have been its potential prey.
Paleontologist Jason Head from Cambridge University, who was not involved in the study, noted that both Vasuki and Titanoboa lived during periods of exceptionally warm global climates. As cold-blooded animals, snakes require higher temperatures to grow to such large sizes.
Although global warming could theoretically lead to the reemergence of giant snakes, Head believes that the current rate of climate change is too rapid for snakes to evolve and reach such massive proportions once again.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.