Research has indicated that the giant snake looked like a boa constrictorhence its namebut hunted like a crocodile. Titanoboa cerrejonensis 58 60 million years ago northeastern colombia titanoboa is the largest snake to have ever slithered the earth. This snake lived after the extinction of the dinosaurs during the paleocene epoch 5860 million. Letters giant boid snake from the palaeocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures jason j. Here are the top nine pieces of trivia about this 50footlong, 2,000pound menace of the paleocene epoch. Pdf cranial osteology, body size, systematics, and. Supplementary table 2 has been corrected since its original online publication. What are the types of animals that coexist with titanoboa.
Fossilworks hosts query, analysis, and download functions used to access large paleontological data sets. Those giant animals are gone as is the giant snake that fed on. Now extinct, the snake was a relative of the anaconda and the boa constrictor. Pdf cranial osteology, body size, systematics, and ecology of the. The only known species is titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever. The thickest part of its body measured about 3 feet 1 metre in diameter. The taxon was originally diagnosed, assigned to the clade boinae, and estimated to be approximately 12.
It presents taxonomic, distributional, and ecological data about the entire fossil record. Titanoboa cerrejonensis extinct species further reading. Titanoboa lived about 5560 million years ago in the hot, humid tropics of columbia south america along with some other giant creatures. This snake lived after the extinction of the dinosaurs during the paleocene epoch 5860 million years ago. Titanoboa is known from several fossils that have been dated to 58 million to 60 million years ago. Titanoboa, titanoboa cerrejonensis, extinct snake that lived during the. Titanoboa, meaning titanic boa, is an extinct genus of snake that lived approximately 60 to 58 million years ago, during the paleocene epoch, approximately 6058. It is considered that adult titanoboa could grow as long as 15 meters 50 feet, had the diameter of 1 meter at the thickest part of.
It ate crocodiles the fossil was found in an opencast coal mine in colombia, in 2009. Titanoboa definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Uncovered from a treasure trove of fossils in a colombian coal mine, this serpent is revealing a lost world of giant creatures. The size is pretty amazing, said coauthor p david polly, from indiana university in bloomington, us. Therefore scientists called it titanoboa cerrejonensis. See more ideas about prehistoric animals, prehistoric and prehistoric creatures. Vertebrae of titanoboa are the largest recovered for any extant or. Cranial osteology, body size, systematics, and ecology of the giant. The titanoboa is one of the greatest discoveries since the trex a monster snake 48 feet long, weighing in at 2,500 pounds. Titanoboa titanic boa fossil from colombia is worlds.
The only known species is titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever discovered, which supplanted the. Giant boid snake from the palaeocene neotropics reveals hotter past. The following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. It soon became clear that this creature, named titanoboa cerrejonensis, was the longest, largest and heaviest snake ever discovered. Eunectesmurinus broghammerusreticulatus titanoboa 2. Titanoboa, as it is now called, is the largest snake ever known, and was the largest nonmarine vertebrate from the epoch immediately following the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. At its greatest width, the snake would have come up to about your hips. Titanoboa, le plus grand serpent du monde, mangeait des.
An artists reconstruction of titanoboa cerrejonensis. Titanoboa vs trex its the ultimate battle of the predators the monster snakes unbelievable power against the tyrannosaurus giant bite. Titanoboa extends the range of body size for snakes. The discovery of titanoboa challenges our understanding of past climates and environments, as well as the biological limitations on the evolution of giant snakes. It was about 43 feet long m, and weighed over a ton about 15 kg or 2,500 pounds.
Just click here and right click on the image that opens in a new window and save to your computer name. Titanoboa, meaning titanic boa, is an extinct genus of snake that lived. These histrionic creatures weighed approximately 15 kgs and were more than 40 feet long. The only known species is the titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever.
Titanoboa cerrejonensis is part of the genus titanoboa and these gigantic snakes roamed the earth during the paleocene epoch of the paleogene period, about 58 to 60 million years ago. Jonathan bloch was a part of the team that discovered titanoboas fossils. They lived in different times and places, but if they. Pdf on jun 11, 2014, sarah werning and others published bone histology and growth in the largest known snake, titanoboa cerrejonensis find, read. Titanoboa, meaning titanic boa, was a very large genus of snake that lived approximately 6058 million years ago, during the paleocene epoch, a 5millionyear period immediately following the cretaceous extinction event. Titanoboa was a true monster among prehistoric snakes, the size and weight of an extremely elongated school bus. The extinct giant snake, called titanoboa shown in an artists reconstruction, would have sent even hollywoods. Titanoboa, titanoboa cerrejonensis, extinct snake that lived during the paleocene epoch 66 million to 56 million years ago, considered to be the largest known member of the suborder serpentes.
A taxonomic genus within the family boidae the single species titanoboa cerrejonensis, an extinct snake of the pleistocene 6058 million years ago. Titanoboa its the biggest snake the world has ever known, jason head, a paleontologist at the university of toronto mississauga and part of an international team who discovered and identified the fossilized snake bones. The thickest part of its body would be nearly as high as a mans waist. How titanoboa, the 40footlong snake, was found in colombia, the fossil of a gargantuan snake has stunned scientists, forcing them to rethink the nature of prehistoric life by guy gugliotta. Titanoboa, the biggest serpent in the prehistoric world. Titanoboa cerrejonensis florida museum of natural history. Titanoboa is the largest known snake to have ever existed, reaching an estimated length of 12. Pdf titanoboa cerrejonensis from the cerrejon formation middle to late paleocene. Titanoboa simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. How titanoboa, the 40footlong snake, was found science. Giant boid snake from the palaeocene neotropics reveals. The only known species is titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever discovered, which supplanted the previous record holder, gigantophis. Jackthezzilla trex me titanoboa astralescence cocodrile dinomorph3000 edmontosaurus.
Morphology described by individual landmarks is as follows. The taxon was originally diagnosed, assigned to the clade boinae. Named titanoboa cerrejonensis by its discoverers, the beasts mlong body and 1,140kg 2,500lb weight make it the largest snake on record. The green anaconda is the largest most massive living snake. From extrapolations of body size made from excavated vertebrae individual sections. Titanoboa this illustration is available as a printable colouring sheet. The snake lived in the palaeocene epoch, about 58 million years ago. Jaramillo3 the largest extant snakes live in the tropics of south america and. Titanoboa cerrejonensis from the cerrejon formation middle to late paleocene. Titanoboa cerrejonensis is the largest known snake. From extrapolations of body size made from excavated vertebrae individual sections of the backbone.