The vertebrae of Vasuki indicus, a snake that lived 47 million years ago, suggest it could have been as long as 15 metres
Fossil remains discovered in India have been identified as belonging to an enormous, 47-million-year-old extinct snake. Though only a few of the animal’s vertebrae were recovered, researchers estimate that it could have been up to 15 metres long, putting it in contention for being the longest snake of all time.at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee were searching for fossils in a coal mine in Gujarat in western India.
“We were actually prospecting this locality for fossils of early whales,” says Bajpai, “but we found not just whales but a host of other vertebrate fossils, including those of snakes.” Among these fossils was a collection of 27 vertebrae measuring up to 6 centimetres long and 11 centimetres wide. Due to their large size and the fact that their anatomy was somewhat obscured by sediment, these were first thought to belong to some sort of extinct crocodile, saysAfter a closer analysis, Datta and Bajpai now believe the vertebrae belonged to an exceedingly large snake from an extinct family called the Madtsoiidae.
Using data from modern-day snakes that compares the size of their vertebrae with overall length, Datta and Bajpai estimate that, the researchers emphasise that we don’t have complete skeletons of any Madtsoiid snakes, so it is impossible to know whether their length and vertebrae size would correlate in the same way as living species.
“Caution is always warranted whenever you are extrapolating beyond the available data set,” says Jacob McCartney at Nazareth University in Rochester, New York. “But the vertebrae of this new species are so big that they really are second in size only to those of the Colombian species
Palaeontology Fossils Snakes Reptiles
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Solar Beats Coal In Fossil-Friendly Texas, Despite Fossil FriendsConcentrating solar power has had a tough time gaining traction in the US, but Texas could be a hotspot for new, next-gen CSP technology.
Read more »
50-Foot-Long Fossil Snake May Be the Largest That Ever LivedVertebrae found in a mine in India could belong to a serpent over twice as big as any modern snake.
Read more »
RFK Jr.'s family trust earns thousands from an oil and gas companyHe is a longtime fossil fuel critic and anti-pollution activist.
Read more »
Paleontologist Finds Rare Fossil of Spider in Disguise—'Magical Transformation'The discovery provides insight into the evolution of this unusual behavior in present-day spiders.
Read more »
AI companies eye fossil fuels to meet booming energy demandMack DeGeurin is a tech reporter who’s spent years investigating where technology and politics collide. His work has previously appeared in Gizmodo, Insider, New York Magazine, and Vice.
Read more »
Research uncovers a rare resin fossil find: A spider that aspires to be an antSpiders that disguise themselves as ants live in many locations around the globe but until now most had been able to avoid detection from fossil researchers as well as predators.
Read more »