An artist’s rendering of the prehistoric snake Titanoboa cerrejonensis, which was 42 feet long and lived 60 million years ago. - University of Florida
A new fossil find in a open coal mine in the northeast corner of the country of Colombia has uncovered the largest snake species known. Named Titanoboa cerrejonensis, this monstrous jungle dweller lived 60 million years ago,weighed over a ton and measured 42ft long. For a snake, which is cold blooded, to have evolved to be so large, it must have lived in a very hot tropical climate. Scientists have calculated that the average temperature must have been between 86 and 93 degrees. This is 10-15 degrees higher than the average temperature in today’s South American jungle.
