Giant Fossilized Snake Unearthed in India

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee recently made a groundbreaking discovery at the Panandhro Lignite Mine in Western India.

While fossil hunting, they unearthed fossilized remnants believed to be a giant madtsoiid snake from the early-middle Eocene epoch, estimated to be around 50 million years old.

The excellently preserved partial vertebral column of the snake has been identified as a new taxon named Vasuki indicus.

The estimated body length of this snake ranges from 11 to 15 meters, making it the largest known madtsoiid snake in history.

This discovery sheds light on a warm Middle Eocene period, approximately 47 million years ago, with average temperatures around 28 °C.

Notably, the shape of the vertebral column suggests that the snake was likely terrestrial or semi-aquatic, ruling out both arboreal and water-dwelling lifestyles.

Experts speculate that Vasuki indicus was a slow-moving ambush predator, similar to modern large pythonids, using constriction to subdue its prey.

Comparisons have been drawn with the well-known Titanoboa cerrejonensis, a giant snake from Northern Colombia that lived around 60 million years ago and also exceeded 40 feet in length and weighed over a ton.

The Madtsoiidae family, to which Vasuki indicus belongs, comprises extinct snakes that thrived from the Cretaceous period through the Cenozoic era, including genera like Madtsoia, Wonambi, and Sanajeh.

These carnivorous predators preyed on various animals and likely became extinct millions of years ago due to factors such as climate change, habitat loss, and competition with other predators.