Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Muskan Arora
Researchers have identified a new ancient species of snake, named Vasuki Indicus, which lived around 47 million years ago in Gujarat, India.
Represenative pic
Vasuki Indicus is believed to have been one of the largest snakes ever, with an estimated length ranging from 11 to 15 meters. The snake belonged to the extinct madtsoiidae family and had a broad, cylindrical body.
Represenative pic
The specimen of Vasuki Indicus was found in the Panandhro Lignite Mine in Kutch, Gujarat. It was named after the mythical snake associated with the Hindu deity Shiva and India itself.
Researchers analysed 27 well-preserved vertebrae from the specimen, estimating their size to determine the snake's length. The vertebrae measured between 37.5 and 62.7 millimetres in length, suggesting a large-bodied snake.
Vasuki Indicus's size is comparable to that of Titanoboa, the longest known snake to have ever lived. It is speculated that the snake was a slow-moving, ambush predator similar to an anaconda.
The snake is identified as belonging to the madtsoiidae family, which existed for around 100 million years across various regions including Africa, Europe, and India.
Vasuki Indicus is believed to represent a lineage of large madtsoiids that originated in the Indian subcontinent and later spread to southern Europe and Africa during the Eocene period, approximately 56 to 34 million years ago.
The discovery of Vasuki Indicus sheds light on the ancient biodiversity of India and contributes to our understanding of the evolution and distribution of large snake species during the Eocene period.