The Largest Snake Fossil Ever Found

Titanoboa cerrejonensis, discovered in the Cerrejon Coal Mine in Colombia, was estimated to weigh 1,140 kilograms (2,500 pounds) and measure 13 meters (42.7 feet) in length from nose to tail tip

The discovery, detailed in a paper published in the journal Nature, was led by paleontologist Jason Head of the University of Toronto

The fossils were unearthed by geologists Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Jonathan Bloch of the University of Florida

Analysis of the snake's vertebrae by geologist David Polly of Indiana University helped estimate its size and infer its environment

The study suggests that Titanoboa thrived in a hot tropical rainforest environment with temperatures averaging 30 to 34 degrees Celsius (86 to 93 Fahrenheit)

Titanoboa's size indicates a correlation between Earth's temperature and the size of poikilotherms (cold-blooded creatures) over geological time scales

The research challenges previous views on the upper temperature limit for tropical rainforests and has implications for understanding climate change effects on tropical ecosystems

The project was funded by various institutions including the National Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, and several universities and organizations