A snake that lived millions of years ago in western India was about the size of a school bus and weighed up to 2,000 pounds, said researchers in a newly published article.
New research suggests an enormous snake may have once called India home. Fossilized vertebrae found near a coal mine in western India indicate that the snake was between 36 feet and 50 feet long. This is up to eight feet longer than the largest snake known to man and nearly 17 feet longer than the current largest living snake, the Associated Press reported this week. The snake weighed up to a ton, researchers said in a Scientific Reports article published on April 18.
The giant reptile is believed to have roamed — or rather, slithered on — the Earth about 47 million years ago. Researchers who found the snake dubbed it 'Vasuki indicus,' the AP said. In Hinduism, there is a 'mythical snake king Vasuki, who wraps around the neck of the Hindu deity Shiva,' Debajit Datta, a study co-author at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, told the AP. The snake likely constricted its prey, and was not particularly fast.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Giant Ancient Snake Found In India Could Have Been As Long As A T. RexI'm a journalist with particular expertise in the arts, popular science, health, religion and spirituality. As the former culture editor at news and technology website CNET, I led a team that tracked movies, TV shows, online trends and science—from space and robotics to climate, AI and archaeology.
Read more »
– Ancient Giant Snake Discovered in IndiaScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Read more »
Discovery of new ancient giant snake in IndiaA new ancient species of snake dubbed Vasuki Indicus, which lived around 47 million years ago in the state of Gujarat in India, may have been one of the largest snakes to have ever lived, suggests new research published in Scientific Reports.
Read more »
Wednesday's analyst calls: UPS gets an upgrade, Meta Platforms to jump 20% aheadA delivery giant and a social media giant were among the biggest analyst calls on Wednesday.
Read more »
Extinct snake that measured up to 50 feet long discovered in IndiaThe Vasuki indicus specimen dates back 47 million years and is more than double the average size of similar snakes, like pythons.
Read more »
Colossal prehistoric snake discovered in IndiaFossils unearthed in India revealed a prehistoric snake that may have been one of the longest to have ever lived, according to a new study.
Read more »