A huge ancient snake may reappear on earth. Titanoboa - the largest snake in the history of the planet The largest snake in history

Millions of years after the extinction of the dinosaurs, there was a species of snake that, by its mere gigantic size disturbs the mind. 60-58 million years ago lived in the swampy jungles of Colombia Titanoboa. A snake like a boa constrictor reached a length of 15 meters and weighed up to a ton.

Size Titanoboa could be attributed to the climate in which he lived. More warm climate usually implies more vegetation, which means more prey, which was also larger than prey living in cooler conditions.

Canadian and American zoologists, having done a comparative analysis of the skeleton, came to the conclusion that the snake could reach up to 13 meters in length and weigh more than a ton. The most large snake, preserved to our time, reticulated python, reaches 8.7 meters in length. The smallest snake, Leptotyphlops carlae, is only 10 centimeters long.

Vertebra of Titanoboa and modern medium snake

This colossal snake looked like a modern common boa constrictor, but acted more like today's anaconda living in the Amazon jungle. It was a slippery swamp dweller and a huge predator capable of eating any animal it hunted. The diameter of his body was close to the waist of a man of our time.

In the swampy jungle, the life of the titanoboa was surprisingly long due to the constant incessant rain, abundant vegetation and living creatures. Deep-water rivers allowed the snake to both go to the depths and crawl around palm trees and rolling jungles.

The river basin in which the titanoboa fed was teeming with giant tortoises and crocodiles of at least three different species. Also lived here giant fish, three times the size of the current inhabitants of the Amazon.

On March 22, 2012, a 14-meter reconstruction of the Titanoboa skeleton created for the Smithsonian Channel's Titanoboa-themed non-fiction program Titanoboa: Monster Snake was unveiled at New York's Grand Central Terminal.

Titanoboa - prehistoric giant snake, about the size of an elongated school bus. With a mass of about 1 ton and a length of up to 15 meters, these were real monsters among snakes that have ever lived on Earth. In this article, you will discover 10 unique facts about the big view snakes on the planet from the Paleocene era.

1 Titanoboa appeared 5 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs

After the death of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, it took millions of years for life to return to Earth. Introduced during the Paleocene era, the titanoboa (along with prehistoric turtles and crocodiles) was one of the first giant reptiles to regain ecological niches, empty after the demise of the dinosaurs at the end Cretaceous, pterosaurs and marine reptiles.

2. Titanoboa was a boa constrictor, but hunted like a crocodile

It can be assumed that this giant prehistoric monster hunted like a modern boa constrictor, wrapping itself around the victim and squeezing it until it suffocated. In fact, the titanoboa attacked its prey in a more dramatic manner. It was partially submerged in water, and then, when the victim was in range, the giant snake with a sudden throw, grabbed the unfortunate prey with its massive jaws around the trachea.

3. Before the discovery of the remains of the titanoboa, the king of snakes was Gigantophis

Until recently, the 10 meter Gigantophis was considered the most big snake that ever lived on Earth, until its reputation was overshadowed by the titanoboa, which appeared several million years earlier. But still, Gigantophis was no less dangerous for prey than its much larger predecessor. Paleontologists believe that this African snake hunted the distant ancestor of the elephant - meriteria.

4 Titanoboa Was Twice As Long As Anaconda

If we compare the titanoboa with the modern giant snake - the anaconda, then the prehistoric monster was 2 times longer and four times heavier than its contemporary. The maximum length of the anaconda is about 7 m, and the weight is slightly more than 200 kg. Compared to most modern snakes, the titanoboa was a real "behemoth": for example, the average cobra weighs only about 5 kg, and can easily fit into a small suitcase.

5. The thickest part of the Titanoboa's body was up to 1 meter in diameter.

Given the length and mass of a prehistoric snake, the laws of physics and biology could not allow an even distribution of weight along the entire length of the animal's body. Titanoboa was noticeably thicker towards the center of the body (up to 1 m), which provided sufficient capacity for big booty living at that time.

6 Titanoboa Shared Habitat With Giant Tortoise

Swamps of the Early Paleocene South America are not perfect place for the faint of heart time travelers. Remains of monotonous turtles carbonemys were found in the same area as the titanoboa fossils. It is possible that these two giant reptiles accidentally crossed paths from time to time.

7 Titanoboa Lived In A Hot And Humid Climate

South America quickly recovered from global climate change as a result of an asteroid impact on the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago, which threw clouds of dust obscuring the sun. During the Paleocene epoch, present-day Peru and Colombia had tropical climate with high humidity and average air temperatures ideal for cold-blooded reptiles such as the titanoboa.

8. The color of the titanoboa looked like a dirty car mat.

Unlike some modern poisonous snakes, the bright colors would do no good for a prehistoric snake. In fact, the titanoboa had an unremarkable coloration that helped the giant snake to blend in with environment. If you were miraculously transported to Paleocene South America, chances are the titanoboa bit you in half before you realized it wasn't seaweed.

9. A life-size model of a titanoboa can be seen at Grand Central Station in New York

In March 2012, the Smithsonian Institution installed a 14 meter titanoboa model in the world's largest and busiest train station, Grand Central Station in New York, USA.

10. Despite its size, the titanoboa was a "shrimp" compared to most dinosaurs.

You may be wondering: why all the fuss about a giant prehistoric snake, the mass of which reached only 1 ton, when some types of dinosaurs weighed a hundred times more? Perhaps the fear of many peoples of snakes seems irrational, but meeting a huge snake that attacks like a crocodile (even considering the fact of its diminutiveness relative to dinosaurs) would not be the most pleasant event in your life.

The reticulated python is the largest snake living on Earth, it is a real giant of the snake world with a weight of up to 200 kg and medium length bodies 5-8, rarely more than 10 meters. But even he pales in comparison with the titanoboa, a monster that lived 58-60 million years ago.

Titanoboa (lat. Titanoboa cerrejonensis) is the largest snake in the history of the Earth, the body length of this reptile was 13 meters, according to some estimates - up to 15 m, and the mass was very close to 1000 kg.

Titanoboa in natural environment habitat in the mind of the artist.

We learned about the giant snake relatively recently, in 2009 during excavations in a coal mine near the Colombian town of Serrejon. An international team of biologists and paleontologists managed to discover in a mine that was bottom millions of years ago major river the remains of several previously unknown species of fish and turtles, and the fossilized skeleton of a huge snake. After examining the find in detail, the scientists realized that they had made a sensational discovery.

Titanoboa belonged to the family of pseudo-legged reptiles, which includes modern giants: anacondas and boas. The structure of the skeleton of Titanoboa cerrejonensis is indeed similar to that of pseudo-legged reptiles, but some experts call this only a similarity and insist on placing the prehistoric snake in a new family.

Titanoboa sculpture by famous Chinese artist Huang Yongping. The proportions are respected.

Interestingly, the titanoboa appeared shortly after the extinction of the dinosaurs. She probably became the most large predator of his time, occupying a niche vacated after the tyrannosaurs and their relatives.

On land, the snake was rather slow and clumsy, and probably did not represent real threat for animals that can move more or less quickly. Much great danger titanoboa imagined being in the water. It is not known for certain whether Titanoboa cerrejonensis hunted crocodiles and alligators, but to cope with such large and dangerous adversaries she could no doubt.

Like modern descendants, the titanoboa was not poisonous. The snake dealt with its victims in the same way as anacondas and boas, wrapping around and squeezing prey.

Scientific interest in the largest snake is also reinforced by the fact that a creature of this size simply would not survive in modern climatic conditions. To maintain the life of a cold-blooded 13-meter reptile, a warmer climate with average annual temperature 30-34°C. Apparently, 60 million years ago, just such a warm climate was inherent in the Earth.

Reconstruction of the snake in full height. Body length - 10 meters. Written by Charlie Brinson

American scientists have established that a giant boa constrictor lived on Earth millions of years ago. This discovery allows not only to learn more about the past, but, perhaps, to look into the future.

Titanoboa model

About 58 million years ago, a snake of incredible size crawled out of the swampy South American jungle. This creature could terrify anyone.

The reptile weighed more than a ton, and its length was 14 meters. She could swallow a whole crocodile and not choke.

But a few years ago, scientists did not suspect the existence of this fossil animal.

"Even in our wildest dreams, it was impossible to imagine that we would find a 14-meter boa constrictor. The largest of modern snakes is twice smaller size", - says Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and one of the authors of the discovery.

The snake, which received the Latin name Titanoboa cerrejonensis (colossal boa from Kerrejon), is called a distant relative of the anaconda and the modern boa constrictor. She was not poisonous, but killed her victims with a huge squeezing force: more than 180 kg per 6.4 square meters. see Approximately such a load would be received by a person who fell under a load weighing one and a half Brooklyn Bridges.

Fossils of a giant snake were found during excavations in an open coal mine in the town of Cerrejon in Colombia. In 2002, scientists discovered fossils of the Paleocene tropical jungle at this site - perhaps even the very first such forest on the planet.

In addition to fossilized plants, many reptiles were found, the size of which was amazing.

"We have discovered the lost world of giant reptiles: turtles the size of kitchen table and the largest crocodile fossils in the history of research," says Jonathan Bloch, an expert in vertebrate evolution at the University of Florida.

Among the finds was a giant snake.

"After the extinction of the dinosaurs, this animal, the Titanoboa, was the most big predator on Earth, and this went on for about 10 million years, explains Bloch. “It was a very large animal, no matter how you look at it.”

Looking for fossil skulls

However, in order to get a complete picture of what the prehistoric snake looked like, what it ate and how it relates to the modern animal world, scientists needed to study the remains of the reptile's skull.

"After the dinosaurs died out 60 million years ago, it was much hotter at the equator than today. We believe that is why the reptiles have grown to be very large sizes(Jonathan Bloch.)

Last year a special mission was sent to Colombia to search for the Titanoboa skull. research group, which, however, had little hope of success. The fact is that the bones of the snake skull are very fragile, and a very small number of fossil skulls have survived to this day.

"Unlike our skulls, the bones in a snake's skull are not held together. They are connected by tissue," says Jason Head, a serpentologist at the university. american state Nebraska.

“When an animal dies, the connective tissues decompose and the individual bones usually dissipate,” the scientist continues. “In addition, they are very thin and fragile and often break down. snakes known to us from fossils."

To the amazement of the group, they managed to find the remains of three skulls, with which they were able to completely reconstruct the skull of a giant reptile for the first time.

Thus, it was possible to better learn about how the Titanoboa lived and looked like. Now in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in the United States, a life-size model of a snake is on display. In 2013, the exhibit will go on a tour of America.

The discovery of a new species of huge fossil snake helps scientists not only learn about the ancient animal world, but also gain new information about the history earth climate. And this means that fossils can tell us about the consequences of the current global warming.

Snakes are unable to regulate their temperature and depend on external heat to survive.

" Tropical plants and ecosystems can handle high temperatures And high level carbon dioxide. And this is another serious problem with which the current trend of global warming is associated" (Carlos Jaramillo).

"We think the Titanoboa got so big because, after the dinosaurs died out 60 million years ago, it was much hotter at the equator than it is today. We think that's why the reptiles grew so big."

Bloch notes that the ability of animals to survive in conditions of high temperatures may become relevant again if climatologists' predictions regarding global warming come true.

The ability to thrive in warm climates can play a role important role if global temperatures rise, as climatologists predict, Bloch added.

"This is evidence that ecosystems can develop at temperatures that are expected for the next hundred or two hundred years," he said.

Return of the Titanoboa?

However climate change that led to the emergence of Titanoboa took place over millions of years. Scientists speak with less certainty about the effects of sudden temperature changes.

“Biology is surprisingly adaptable. Changes in climate and living conditions on the continents are an incentive for evolution. But what happens very quickly can lead to changes that can hardly be assessed positively,” Bloch believes.

During the existence of the Kerrekhon tropical forests, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 50% higher than the current one.

"The Kerrekhon fossils taught us an important lesson: we learned that tropical plants and ecosystems can cope with high temperatures and high levels of carbon dioxide. And this is another serious problem that the current global warming trend is associated with," says Carlos Jaramillo.

"Perhaps the plants and animals of the tropics already have the genetic ability to cope with global warming," the researcher believes.

Does this mean the giant snake Titanoboa could be back?

“When the temperature rises, there is a possibility that they will return,” says Jaramillo. - It takes a geological time of the order of a million years for the appearance of a new animal species. But they might come back!"

Based on materials Reading the article will take: 3 min.

As we well know, several tens of millions of years ago, the planet Earth, which we humans today consider exclusively ours, belonged to no mammals at all, and not even warm-blooded ones. It was inhabited by gigantic creatures in every way - dinosaurs alone are worth something! After the total extinction of dinosaurs (only birds survived, their distant relatives), no less huge creatures began to rule the Earth, which was facilitated by a warm climate and an abundance of food - giant reptiles. And among them was a snake of terrifying size and strength - a colossal boa constrictor, named Titanoboa cerrejonensis by the scientists who discovered it.

The largest snake in the history of the Earth

The remains of a group of eight giant boas were discovered in Colombia while developing a side road of a coal mine near the city of Serrejon in the province of Guajira. At the invitation of the government of Colombia, international paleontologists were invited to the site in early 2009, led by Jonathan Bloch and paleobotanist Carlos Jaramillo from the Panamanian branch of the Smithsonian University.

The first thing that shocked paleontologists was the monstrous size of the vertebrae found in the remains of snakes. It was completely the new kind a fossil giant boa constrictor whose size was so impressive that there was nothing to even compare them to. According to preliminary estimates, the colossal boa constrictor that lived in South America was at least 13 meters long, the body weight of an adult was more than a ton!

The family of giant boas inhabited the Earth in the Paleocene, about 60 million years ago. And this fact refutes the theory that during the Paleocene the Earth's climate was cold, because at its beginning there was a complete extinction of dinosaurs - cold-blooded snakes of the genus Titanoboa cerrejonensis would not be guaranteed to survive at temperatures below 30 °C. And since they survived and reached such an impressive size, then in the Paleocene era in the equatorial zone of our planet it was warm and even hot. It took about three years to study in detail the fossil remains of snakes found in Columbia, and on March 22, 2012, a life-size model of a colossal boa constrictor was exhibited in the lobby of Grand Central Station in New York, it is now in the Museum of the Smithsonian University in Washington.

According to paleontologists, based on the size of bones and other fossilized remains of the colossus boa constrictor, the length of a living individual was over 15 meters, weight - about 1,500 kg. body itself big snake in the history of the Earth, it had the greatest power, developing a squeezing force of 30 kg per square centimeter of the victim's body. Since the numbers expressing the strength of a colossal boa constrictor are not very indicative, imagine that a mass equal to 30,000 tons fell on you - three Eiffel Towers at a time! Yes, the colossal fossil boa constrictor from the Paleocene and the silushka was truly colossal ...

Colossal boa constrictor (model) at lunch

What did this overgrown leather cord feed on? According to American scientists, the food of a reptile of monstrous size was in line with its physical capabilities - the largest snake on the Earth ate ... 10-meter crocodiles, small ancestors of elephants and hippos, which abundantly inhabited swamps and lakes in the stuffy climate of the Paleocene! To make it easier for a colossal boa constrictor to swallow prey of a non-weak size, the bones in its skull were not interconnected, as in modern boas and anacondas - the flexible tissues connecting them easily stretched, allowing swallowing whole, for example, a medium-sized elephant.

I present to your attention a short video in which experts from the Smithsonian University recreated the fight between a tyrannosaurus rex and a colossal boa constrictor, as if these monsters accidentally met nose to nose. Although this is impossible, because dinosaurs died out 10 million years before the appearance of the first reptiles of the genus Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the fight is still spectacular!