Published: 25th Apr, 2024
Context
In a surprising discovery, fossils of an extinct snake or one of the largest snakes that ever existed and likely lived 47 million years ago during Middle Eocene period, were found in Kutch, Gujarat. The reptile is named Vasuki Indicus.
About
- The giant serpant is named Vasuki after a myth about a serpent of the same name which rapped itself around the neck of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva.
- This species was found in Gujarat’s Panandhro Lignite Mine in Kutch.
- The fossilised remains measured 10-15 metres long. It could have weighed almost one metric ton (1000kg or 2,200 pounds).
- The only other comparable snake in terms of length is the extinct Titanoboa, widely considered the world's largest snake, which measured 45 to 50 feet long (around 15 metres) and three feet (0.9 metres) wide.
- Vasuki is specifically from the Indian subcontinent and existed roughly 56 to 34 million years ago.
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Fact Box: Madtsoiidae Family
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