In a remarkable discovery, a 47-million year-old fossil of the largest snake ever was found by the Indian Institute Technology (IIT) Roorkee researchers in Kutch of Gujarat.
The snake is scientifically referred to as Vasuki Indicus and is a part of the extinct Madtsoiidae snake clan. As per study, the species has an approximate length between 11 and 15 metres.
The study, published on the Nature platform in the esteemed Scientific Reports magazine, revealed that the fossils had been found at the Panandhro Lignite Mine in Kutch, Gujarat. The study further stated that the fossil is from the Middle Eocene, which ended about 47 million years ago.
Furthermore, the author of the study, described 27 other vertebrae in the research. During the research, the scientists calculated that Vasuki Indicus may have grown to a length of between 10.9 and 15.2 meters.
These snake’s length is similar to the length of the extinct Titanoboa, the biggest snake ever known to exist. Titanoboa is believed to have existed for around 100 million years from “Late Cretaceous” to “Late Pleistocene” and lived in a broad geographical range of Africa, Europe and India.
Revealing about the discovery, IIT Roorkee shared a post on X and mentioned, “IIT Roorkee’s Prof. Sunil Bajpai & Debajit Datta discovered Vasuki Indicus, a 47-million-year-old snake species in Kutch, Gujarat. Estimated at 11-15 meters, this extinct snake sheds light on India’s prehistoric biodiversity. Published in Scientific Reports.”
As per study, Vasuki Indicus was an ambush predator that moved slowly, like to an anaconda, because of its massive size.
IIT Roorkee’s Prof. Sunil Bajpai & Debajit Datta discovered Vasuki Indicus, a 47-million-year-old snake species in Kutch, Gujarat. Estimated at 11-15 meters, this extinct snake sheds light on India’s prehistoric biodiversity. Published in Scientific Reports. #SnakeDiscovery pic.twitter.com/ruLsfgPQCc
— IIT Roorkee (@iitroorkee) April 18, 2024