In a remarkable discovery, IIT Roorkee researchers discovered fossils of a new snake species that used to live in Gujarat about 47 million years ago. The researchers have claimed that this species is supposedly the largest snake ever to have lived in the world with an Indian lineage.
The researchers discovered that the snake species scientifically referred to as Vasuki Indicus is now a part of the extinct Madtsoiidae snake clan. The species has an approximate length between 11 and 15 metres.
The study, also published on the Nature platform in the esteemed Scientific Reports magazine, claimed that the fossils had been found at the Panandhro Lignite Mine in Kutch, Gujarat. Furthermore, it stated that the fossil is from the Middle Eocene, which ended about 47 million years ago.
Furthermore, the authors of the study also described 27 other vertebrae in the research. Many of these well-preserved vertebrates appeared to be from fully grown animals.
Moreover, the vertebrae had lengths ranging from 37.5 to 62.7 millimetres and widths ranging from 62.4 to 111.4 millimetres, indicating a large, cylindrical body.
Based on their research, the scientists calculated that Vasuki Indicus may have grown to a length of between 10.9 and 15.2 meters, which is similar to the length of the extinct Titanoboa, the biggest snake ever known to exist.
According to the research, Vasuki Indicus was an ambush predator that moved slowly, like to an anaconda, because of its massive size.