WASHINGTON. A discovery in India has unveiled the existence of an ancient colossal snake that may have surpassed the length of a school bus and weighed up to a ton, according to researchers who published their findings on Thursday.
Fossils unearthed near a coal mine in India have revealed the remains of a snake estimated to have stretched between 36 to 50 feet (11 to 15 meters) in length, comparable to the largest known snake found in Colombia, measuring approximately 42 feet (13 meters) long.
Named Vasuki indicus, after the mythical snake king Vasuki from Hindu mythology, the behemoth is believed to have roamed the swampy evergreen forests of western India some 47 million years ago. Researchers, including Debajit Datta from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, described the creature as a slow-moving ambush predator that likely subdued its prey through constriction.
Co-author Sunil Bajpai, also from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, discovered fragments of the snake’s backbone near Kutch, Gujarat, in 2005. By comparing over 20 fossil vertebrae to modern snake skeletons, researchers estimated Vasuki’s size and weight.
While the exact diet of Vasuki remains uncertain, fossils found in the same vicinity suggest it inhabited swampy areas alongside various species such as catfish, turtles, crocodiles, and primitive whales, which may have been its prey.
The discovery of Vasuki indicus adds to the lineage of giant prehistoric snakes, joining the ranks of Titanoboa discovered in Colombia, estimated to have lived around 60 million years ago.
According to Jason Head, a paleontologist from Cambridge University, these giant snakes thrived during periods of exceptionally warm global climates, as warmer temperatures are conducive to the growth of cold-blooded creatures like snakes. However, he cautions against the notion of a resurgence of giant snakes due to current climate change, stating that the pace of global warming is too rapid for such evolutionary adaptations to occur again.
While Vasuki’s existence sheds light on the ancient biodiversity of India, it also serves as a reminder of the Earth’s dynamic history and the potential impacts of climate change on ecosystems and species evolution.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
