Serpents of the Deep Past

 

• Mega Serpents

Image : From Wikipedia

The five largest snakes which existed in history are all extinct, with their giant sizes determined by fossil measurements.

The 5 Largest Snakes to Ever Live on Earth

Vasuki indicus: 

Image From: Reddit

With fossil finds in India in 2024, this species might well be the longest recorded one, with measurements ranging from 36 to 50 feet or 11 to 15 meters in length. Its species belongs to the extinct group called Madtsoiidae, an opportunistic slow mover in water.

Titanoboa cerrejonensis: 

Image From: Pinterest

    Long considered the largest snake in history, *Titanoboa* remains so to this day. A reptile from a distant time, *Titanoboa* lived during the Early Eocene epoch, 60 million years ago in the northeastern part of Colombia. Its length measured 13 meters, weighing over a ton, making it a giant constrictor preying upon crocodiles and large fish.

Palaeophis colossaeus: 

Image From: X

This giant snake was the largest sea snake known. This species lived during the time when 100 million years old. Reaching a length of 39 feet or 12 meters, a smaller whale can be considered a possible food source.

Gigantophis garstini: 

                                                        

                                                              Image From: Reddit

Before the discovery of *Titanoboa*, *Gigantophis* was considered the largest species of snakes for almost a hundred years. Measuring 23-32 feet or 7-10 meters in length, this massive species lived in northern Africa during the Eocene epoch approximately 40 million years ago and used to be a powerful constrictor.

Laophis crotaloides:

                                                               Image From: Reddit

This prehistoric viper existed in Greece approximately 4 million years ago and is considered to have been the largest venomous species recorded. 

It grew to a length of 13 feet and probably killed small deer and small rodents with a venomous bite. For example, the longest recorded venomous species alive is the King Cobra, which grows to a length of 19 feet.

In contrast, the largest present-day snakes are the reticulated python ( Malayopython reticulatus ) and the green anaconda ( Eunectes murinus ) and can attain a length of over 20 feet, but they would still be much smaller compared to their massive prehistoric species.