![]() Next time you’re out exploring in SE Asia, South America, or Africa, keep an eye out for giant snake fossils! This is because the fossil record is notoriously bad at this time, and therefore we’re probably just not finding the fossils needed to help fill the gaps in the puzzle. This distinction in time and space suggests that during the Cretaceous, these strange snakes were much more widespread across the southern continents, although it is remains difficult to know exactly what happened. Its scaly cousin was much older, living in the latest Cretaceous, before the great dinosaur extinction. Down the ladder Gigantophis went.Ī new analysis of Gigantophis’ evolutionary relationships found that its closest relative was an Indian species called Madtsoia. ![]() However, in 2009, Titanoboa was discovered from the Paleocene of Colombia, which has since gained notorious fame for its immense slithery size, coming in at around 12-13 metres in length. When discovered, researchers thought that Gigantophis was the biggest of all snakes ever known, and an analysis in 2004 estimated that it could grow to around 10 meters in length! Instead, Gigantophis appears to have been confined to the late Eocene of North Africa.īy comparing the vertebrae to those of living snakes, they were able to estimate that Gigantophis was around 7 metres in length. ![]() What they discovered is that other material that had been referred to this species from Pakistan was markedly different, and most likely a new species altogether. They compared them to similar fossils from across North Africa and Pakistan, to see what they could learn about the mystery giant snake. supervisor!) recently undertook the mammoth task of redescribing and analysing these vertebrae. Jonathan Rio and Phil Mannion (my old Ph.D. Previous research from the early 20th century only briefly figured and described the specimens, which have otherwise remained unstudied in the Egyptian Geological Museum in Cairo for more than a century. However, Gigantophis isn’t that well understood by scientists, and only 20 vertebra are known in total for the species. From the name, you can probably tell that this was one hefty snake, bigger than an anaconda and making most modern species look like something you’d find in a pick n mix. It was discovered from 40 million year old rocks in very, very ancient Egypt. The first named madtsoiid was back in 1901, and called Gigantophis garstini. They are now extinct, with a range of around 100 million years, making them one of the longest lived lineages ever. They catch their prey using a special set of small, hooked teeth designed for grabbing and holding their chosen target.One particular group of snakes, Madtsoiidae, used to be widely distributed around the world back in the Cretaceous when the dinosaurs ruled. While Carson is none the wiser, he noted to the Daily Record that "there was a guy lying about 30/40ft away drinking a beer" though he acknowledges he had "no idea if he had anything to do with the snake."īoa constrictors are not venomous but have been known to eat almost anything. The huge snake, which reportedly measured around 14ft in length, was identified as a boa constrictor by several reptile enthusiasts commenting on the post.Īccording to National Geographic, boa constrictors are traditionally found in the tropical climates of Central and South America, which only adds to the confusion surrounding its appearance in the colder climate of Scotland. "Right, I'm no tripping boys, right, but that's a big f*** off snake," he is heard saying on the clip. Read more Snake Attack Forces Dog Chosen As Bridesmaid to Miss Owner's Wedding
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