Fossils of huge prehistoric snake found in Kutch mine

Source– This post on Fossils of huge prehistoric snake found in Kutch mine is based on the article “Fossils of huge prehistoric snake found in Kutch mine” published in “The Hindu” on 19th April 2024.

Why in the News?

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee have reported the discovery of fossils of one of the largest snakes that ever existed and likely lived 47 million years ago during a period called the Middle Eocene.

About Fossils of Prehistoric Snake

1. The fossil was found is located in Panandhro, in the western state of Gujarat. It has been named as vasuki after the mythical snake king Vasuki, who is seen in coil around the neck of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva.

2. The reptile could have been anywhere between 10 metres and 15 metres long and weighed up to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilogrammes).

3. It belonged to the now-extinct Madtsoiidae snake family but represents a unique lineage from India.

4. 27 vertebrae has been found in which some of them are in their original position within the spine. They believe Vasuki resembled a large python and lacked venom.

5. They also concluded that Vasuki was a slow-moving predator that would control its prey through constriction like anacondas and pythons.

6. This snake lived in a marshy swamp near the coast at a time when global temperatures were higher than today.

7. The diet of Vasuki given its large size, likely included crocodiles, as suggested by the presence of crocodile and turtle fossils found alongside Vasuki’s remains.

Fossils of fish and two early whales, Kutchicetus and Andrewsiphius, were also discovered in the same area, indicating a diverse potential prey range for Vasuki.

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