Vasuki Indicus

Researchers have reported the discovery of fossils of one of the largest snakes that ever existed and likely lived 47 million years ago during Middle Eocene period. The fossils were found in Kutch, Gujarat, and the reptile, named Vasuki Indicus.

• It is a giant predator snake estimated to be as large as the longest snake ever discovered.
• The fossilised remains, measuring 10-15 metres long, were found in Gujarat’s Panandhro Lignite Mine in Kutch.
• Madtsoiidae are Gondwanan terrestrial snakes that lived between the Upper Cretaceous (100.5 million to 66 million years ago) and the Late Pleistocene (0.126 million years ago to 0.012 million years ago).
• The giant madtsoiid snake identified in the new study is one of the largest snakes ever reported.