Scientists Discover the Lair of the World’s Largest Snake (extinct)
Posted by Andrew on October 13th, 2009Science Daily reports that a Smithsonian research team has uncovered the first megafossils of a neotropical rainforest.
Titanoboa, the world’s biggest snake, lived in this forest 58 million years ago at temperatures 3-5 C warmer than in rainforests today, indicating that rainforests flourished during warm periods.
While, modern day snakes have been measured over 30 feet in length, it’s been speculated that that the warmer climate contributed to Titanboa’s 42 foot length.
If 58 million years sounds like a good amount of distance to keep between you and a creature capable of swallowing you and all your friends whole, keep this in mind from a recent National Geographic article on the creature:
So could Titanoboa-size snakes return with global warming? “Maybe,” study co-author Jonathan Bloch said. “They definitely could, or maybe … the warming could happen so rapidly that [snakes] wouldn’t have time to adapt.”
Let’s hope this cooling trend continues.
link: First Neotropical Rainforest Was Home Of The Titanoboa — World’s Biggest Snake
link: VIDEO: Biggest Snake Found
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October 13th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
[…] it’s snake week here at Weird Things, previously we reported on researchers discovering the stomping grounds of the largest snake ever, Titanboa. Now comes some […]