Its mode of operation: probably constriction. Or the art of keeping its prey prisoner in its rings in order to block its oxygen and blood flow. Researchers in India have identified a new extinct species of snake whose estimated size could surpass everything known so far in terms of crawling and whistling scaly fauna: up to 15 m long! And obviously, the man named Vasuki Indicus behaved towards his victims like a big boa.
The snake, which lived around 47 million years ago, was discovered in 2005 in a lignite (a type of coal) mine in Kutch, Gujarat state. “We were prospecting this locality in search of fossils of the first whales. We found not only whales, but also a host of other fossils, including those of snakes,” say Debajit Datta and Sunil Bajpai of the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, contacted by e-mail.
Precisely 27 vertebrae were found and are today described in detail in an article published this Thursday in the journal “ Scientific Reports “. Thanks to these bones, scientists were able to calculate that Vasuki measured between 10.90 m and 15.20 m. “These estimates must, however, be treated with caution,” warns the article, which highlights that some vertebrae are missing.
Much longer than current species
If, however, the high hypothesis is confirmed, Vasuki would be the largest known snake to have ever existed. The title was held until now by the Titanoboa, a “titanic boa” which measured between 12.80 and 14.30 m. Discovered in Colombia, it lived around 60 million years ago.
For comparison, the largest current snake, the reticulated python, measures around 7 m on average, although it can exceptionally reach around ten meters. Researchers compare Vasuki to current anacondas, the largest representative of which, the green anaconda, rarely exceeds 8 m.
“By studying the fossil specimens, we quickly understood that we were dealing with a very large snake,” continue Debajit Datta and Sunil Bajpai. When we saw the final size estimates we were delighted and amazed. »
If it turned out that Vasuki was not to be the champion of all categories of snakes, he would nevertheless remain the most imposing of his family, the Madtsoiidae. Dimensions which do not come without a certain handicap: according to the researchers, Vasuki was certainly, because of his size, a predator… very slow!
