New Delhi: Fossils recovered from Kutch in Gujarat may belong to the spine of one of the largest snakes that ever lived, according to new research from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.
At the Panandro lignite mine, researchers discovered the 27 "most well-preserved" bones making up the snake's backbone, or vertebrae, with some of their connections still intact. He said that the vertebra appeared to be that of a fully grown animal.
The researchers said the snake was estimated to be about 11 to 15 meters long, which is comparable in size to the extinct Titanoboa, which is believed to be the longest snake ever to have lived. He said that due to its size, it may have been a "slow-attacking predator" similar to the anaconda.This finding has been published in the Scientific Reports journal.
Researchers have named the newly discovered snake species 'Vasuki indicus (V. indicus) after the mythological snake around the neck of the Hindu god Shiva and in reference to the country of its discovery, India. He explained that V. indicus is part of the now extinct Madtsoidae family, which lived across a wide geography including Africa, Europe and India.
The authors said the snake represents a "distinct lineage" that originated in India and spread from southern Europe to Africa during the Eocene, about 56 to 34 million years ago. The first ancestors and close relatives of modern mammal species are said to have appeared in the Eocene period.The authors date the fossils to the Middle Eocene period, about 47 million years ago.
The researchers said the vertebrae ranged from 38 to 62 millimeters in length and 6 to 111 millimeters in width, suggesting that the body of V. indicus was likely broadly cylindrical.
He measured the length of V. indicus between 10.9 and 15. meters.
Despite uncertainties in the estimates, researchers said the snake was comparable in size to Titanoboa, fossils of which were first discovered in present-day Colombia in the 2000s.
At the Panandro lignite mine, researchers discovered the 27 "most well-preserved" bones making up the snake's backbone, or vertebrae, with some of their connections still intact. He said that the vertebra appeared to be that of a fully grown animal.
The researchers said the snake was estimated to be about 11 to 15 meters long, which is comparable in size to the extinct Titanoboa, which is believed to be the longest snake ever to have lived. He said that due to its size, it may have been a "slow-attacking predator" similar to the anaconda.This finding has been published in the Scientific Reports journal.
Researchers have named the newly discovered snake species 'Vasuki indicus (V. indicus) after the mythological snake around the neck of the Hindu god Shiva and in reference to the country of its discovery, India. He explained that V. indicus is part of the now extinct Madtsoidae family, which lived across a wide geography including Africa, Europe and India.
The authors said the snake represents a "distinct lineage" that originated in India and spread from southern Europe to Africa during the Eocene, about 56 to 34 million years ago. The first ancestors and close relatives of modern mammal species are said to have appeared in the Eocene period.The authors date the fossils to the Middle Eocene period, about 47 million years ago.
The researchers said the vertebrae ranged from 38 to 62 millimeters in length and 6 to 111 millimeters in width, suggesting that the body of V. indicus was likely broadly cylindrical.
He measured the length of V. indicus between 10.9 and 15. meters.
Despite uncertainties in the estimates, researchers said the snake was comparable in size to Titanoboa, fossils of which were first discovered in present-day Colombia in the 2000s.
