Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have discovered the fossils of one of the largest snakes that ever existed and likely lived 47 million years ago during a period called the Middle Eocene.
- The new species has been named Vasuki indicus after the mythical serpent associated with Lord Shiva.
- The fossilised remains, measuring 10-15 metres long, were found in Gujarat’s Panandhro Lignite Mine in Kutch and date back a staggering 47 million years.
- The species belonged to the now-extinct Madtsoiidae snake family.
- Vasuki Indicus likely had a broad and cylindrical body, hinting at a robust and powerful build and was as big as Titanoboa, a massive snake that once roamed the earth and is reportedly the longest ever known.
- 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).
- This family of snakes is considered a pivotal group for our understanding of snake origins and evolution.
