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LARGEST EVER SNAKE FOSSIL FOUND IN WEST INDIA
IN A groundbreaking discovery that redefines our understanding of prehistoric wildlife, scientists have unearthed evidence of what could be the largest snake to ever slither across the Earth.
Named Vasuki indicus, this colossal reptile once roamed the western Indian state of Gujarat, according to a recent study published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports.
The fossilised remains, found in a mine, suggest Vasuki indicus weighed over a ton and stretched an astonishing 15 metres in length – that’s longer than the iconic Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The Vasuki indicus belonged to the Madtsoiidae family, a dominant group of snakes that thrived approxiamtely 90 million years ago until their extinction around 12 000 years ago. They spread from India through southern Eurasia and into north Africa after the Indian subcontinent collided with Eurasia about 50 million years ago.
Scientists recovered 27 vertebrae from the snake, including a few
