Image credit: Jason Bourque

45-foot ancient snake devoured crocodiles

Posted on Monday, 8 February, 2010 | 13 comments

Scientists have found fossil evidence of a giant prehistoric snake that was so large it could devour crocodiles.

The massive snake known as the titanoboa grew up to 45 feet in length and lived 60 million years ago. Fossil finds suggest that the snake would have preyed on the crocodiles of the age which were about 2 metres long.

The largest snake the world has ever known likely had a diet that included crocodile, or at least an ancient relative of the reptile. Scientists have discovered a 60-million-year-old ancient crocodile fossil, which has been named a new species, in northern Columbia, South America. The site, one of the world's largest open-pit coal mines, also yielded skeletons of the giant, boa constrictor-like Titanoboa, which measured up to 45 feet long (14 m).

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Source: Live Science

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Recent comments on this story

#9 Posted by cluey on 10 February, 2010, 0:59
lol.....i have actually seen that before.................u just kick started my heart again......thanks for that,lol.............

#10 Posted by kobolds on 10 February, 2010, 5:08
I once chased by a big snake before . lucky it killed by car . actually it's my fault . at that time I was still a kid and I saw a big snake . I then throw a big stone on it , and it start chasing me . this big snake can really run very fast and persistent . I could die at that time if not a c...

#11 Posted by cluey on 10 February, 2010, 5:40

#12 Posted by chemical-licker on 11 February, 2010, 9:58
ffs my laptop nearly flew through the air.

#13 Posted by SameerPrehistorica on 12 February, 2010, 18:28
Titanoboa is the strongest snake, no doubt.It eats the crocodile called Cerrejonisuchus improcerus which is only 6 to 7 feet long.Cerrejonisuchus is not directly related to modern crocodiles.The concept of ancient crocodyliforms as snake food has its parallel in the modern world, as anacondas have b...

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