Scientists aren't certain when the snake died out or why. 'We found many specimens of Titanoboa, and the size ranges from 36 to 50 feet long.' ' Cerrejon was a very productive tropical rainforest living at a temperature about 10 degrees warmer than today,' Jaramillo said. The warmer the climate, the bigger the snake.

And it seemed that this rainforest was a lot warmer in temperature than even some of the hottest parts of the world today. Snakes, along with other cold-blooded animals, develop in size depending on the temperature of where they live. The sheer size of the animal indicated to scientists that the climate 65 million years ago looked a lot different to how it is today. 'Its large size could be possible due to a much warmer temperature compared to today,' Jaramillo said.

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'We have seen marks of Titanoboa teeth in the carapace of fossilized turtles in Cerrejon,' Jaramillo said. But fossils actually indicate that its favorite food was probably turtles. The predator would have eaten only meat, and its diet probably included the likes of alligators, and crocodiles.

'Its weight could also reach one ton.' This is about the weight of a car today. 'It could reach 26 inches wide, a width that could double after eating,' Jaramillo said. But after more research they realized the fossils belonged to the biggest snake that ever lived. Scientists didn't believe they were snake bones at first, due to the huge size. After analyzing these bones, they realized it was a new species altogether. Scientists soon realized, after sifting through many fossils of already known species, that some were unrecognizable. Fossils of Titanoboa were found along many other fossils including leaves, fruits, seeds, pollen, and other vertebrates including large crocodiles and turtles.' 'Cerrejon is one of the largest open-pit coal mines in the world and the coal was produced by the earliest tropical rainforest. 'So far no larger has been found,' Jaramillo told Newsweek. The Titanoboa would have ruled the land just 6 million years after the time of the Tyrannosaurus rex.Ĭarlos Jaramillo, a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, co-organized the team that made the gigantic discovery.

The Titanoboa was also the biggest known predator to roam the planet between the end of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago, and the time of the Megalodon-a giant shark species that grew up to 58 feet long and lived around 20 million years ago. MR1805/Gettyįor years before the discovery, scientists had debated about how big snakes grew-the general consensus was that it was no larger than 40 feet. It was the biggest snake that ever lived. A file image of a 3D illustration of the Titanoboa.

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