Gujarat: Fossils From Kutch Could Be Largest Serpent Ever of Earth

KUTCH: The fossilised remains of a serpent recovered from the Kutch region of the West Indian state of Gujarat could belong to the largest snake that ever lived on the planet. This information was revealed suggested by new research by the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. The specimen was discovered in a mine in the Kutch region. 

The researchers mentioned that the specimen was discovered in the Panandhro Lignite Mine of Gujarat. The researchers discovered 27 "mostly well-preserved" bones forming the snake's spinal column, also called the vertebra. Some of the joints were discovered intact during the discovery of the remains. The researchers estimated that the snake could roughly be 11 to 15 meters in length. They have also speculated that the remains could belong to what used to be a fully grown animal. 

The experts mentioned that the specimens were comparable in size only to the extinct Titanoboa, known to be the longest snake to have ever lived, whose remains were discovered in modern-day Colombia. Because of its size, this snake has been speculated to be a "slow-moving ambush predator," similar to an anaconda, they added. The findings of this research have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The researchers have named this newly discovered snake species 'Vasuki Indicus' (V. Indicus). It has reference to the mythical snake around the neck of Lord Shiva and in reference to its country of discovery. They mentioned that the snake represented a "distinct lineage" originating in India which then spread via southern Europe to Africa during the Eocene, about 56 to 34 million years ago. The dating of these fossils points to the Middle Eocene period, roughly 47 million years ago.

The vertebrae specimens measure between 38 and 62 millimetres in length and between 62 and 111 in width. They extrapolated the length of the specimen to be between 10.9 and 15.2 metres in length.

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