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Palaeontology

45-foot ancient snake devoured crocodiles

By T.K. Randall
February 8, 2010 · Comment icon 13 comments

Image Credit: Jason Bourque
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).


Source: Live Science | Comments (13)




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Comment icon #4 Posted by danielost 14 years ago
i watched a show where an aniiconda tried to take on a south american croc(forgot their name) in the end the croc couldn't eat the snake and the snake couldnt eat the croc. so they went their own ways. if either had been a bit smaller they would have been lunch. oh and anicondas make lunch of these crocs all the time. true i dont think they get 15 ft long but.
Comment icon #5 Posted by SRCivic98 14 years ago
Hopefully John Hammond won't show up ... or Jimmy Hoffa
Comment icon #6 Posted by REBEL 14 years ago
Aussie scientists many years back painstaking researched, made a totally incredible and remarkable discovery of a snake that actually 'counts how many humans it kills'. After much decision making they decided on calling it the Death Adder.
Comment icon #7 Posted by The_Griffin 14 years ago
pff it couldn't take on the Super Croc
Comment icon #8 Posted by BaneSilvermoon 14 years ago
me and a friend were talking about a present day snake that tried to do this and it did not end good for the snake.... The one that burst?
Comment icon #9 Posted by cluey 14 years ago
Wow-- that's a big one... http://www.youtube.c...h?v=aDlNy0cIw4A lol.....i have actually seen that before.................u just kick started my heart again......thanks for that,lol.............
Comment icon #10 Posted by kobolds 14 years ago
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 car came and run over it . to people that read this , don't ever try what i did .
Comment icon #11 Posted by cluey 14 years ago
Aussie scientists many years back painstaking researched, made a totally incredible and remarkable discovery of a snake that actually 'counts how many humans it kills'. After much decision making they decided on calling it the Death Adder.
Comment icon #12 Posted by chemical-licker 14 years ago
Wow-- that's a big one... http://www.youtube.c...h?v=aDlNy0cIw4A :angry2: ffs my laptop nearly flew through the air.
Comment icon #13 Posted by SameerPrehistorica 14 years ago
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 been documented consuming caimans in the Amazon. Given the ancient reptile's size, Cerrejonisuchus improcerus would have been no competition for Titanoboa. I wonder how it will be if Titanoboa have a fight with Sarcosuchus (The largest crocodile ever)


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