3 weeks ago
New investigation suggests an tremendous snake whitethorn person erstwhile called India home.
Fossilized vertebrae recovered adjacent a ember excavation successful western India bespeak that nan snake was betwixt 36 feet and 50 feet long.
This is up to 8 feet longer than nan largest snake known to man and astir 17 feet longer than nan existent largest surviving snake, nan Associated Press reported this week.
The snake weighed up to a ton, researchers said successful a Scientific Reports article published connected April 18.
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The elephantine reptile is believed to person roamed — aliases rather, slithered connected — nan Earth astir 47 cardinal years ago.
Researchers who recovered nan snake dubbed it "Vasuki indicus," nan AP said.
The greenish anaconda, seen above, tin turn up to astir 30 feet long. A snake that lived successful ancient India, however, whitethorn person been up to 20 feet longer, said researchers. (Sylvain CORDIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
In Hinduism, location is simply a "mythical snake king Vasuki, who wraps astir nan cervix of nan Hindu deity Shiva," Debajit Datta, a study co-author astatine nan Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, told nan AP.
The snake apt constricted its prey, and was not peculiarly fast.
"Considering its ample size, Vasuki was a slow-moving ambush predator that would subdue its prey done constriction," Datta told nan AP.
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Datta guessed nan snake perchance lived connected a fare of "catfish, turtles, crocodiles and primitive whales."
The researchers were capable to estimate nan size of Vasuki indicus by comparing nan fossilized vertebrae to those of surviving snakes, said nan Associated Press.
This image provided by researchers successful April 2024 shows views of immoderate of nan vertebrae of Vasuki indicus, a recently discovered extinct snake from astir 47 cardinal years ago. The snake was estimated to scope astir 50 feet long. (Sunil Bajpai, Debajit Datta, Poonam Verma via AP)
Giant snakes akin successful size to Vasuki indicus person been reported successful modern times passim nan world.
These claims, however, are typically dismissed arsenic hoaxes.
Cryptozoologists, aliases those who study "cryptids" – defined arsenic "an animal (such arsenic Sasquatch aliases nan Loch Ness Monster) that has been claimed to beryllium but ne'er proven to exist" – constituent to many examples of these expected creatures.
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In South America, nan "Yacumama" and "Sachamama" are legendary elephantine serpents that are said to reside successful rivers, says nan Peruvian recreation website Travelling and Living successful Peru.
These snakes were some described to beryllium astir 100 feet long.
Giant snakes are portion of nan mythology of galore cultures – and immoderate declare that these beasts are still surviving connected Earth today. (iStock)
During a 1980 section of nan British tv show "Mysterious World," Belgian Air Force Colonel Remy Van Lierde described a 50-foot snake that had lunged astatine his chopper successful 1959 erstwhile he was flying complete what is now nan Democratic Republic of nan Congo.
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"I consciousness – and I'm convinced – that if I had been successful its range, it would person struck astatine me," said Van Lierde.
He continued, "The head, I would say, was surely 2-foot wide and 3-foot long. It could person easy eaten a man."
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Van Lierde took a photograph he claims shows nan snake. The photo's authenticity is disputed.
In 2023, a video boasting a akin declare astir a 50-foot snake surviving successful nan Congo went viral connected societal media and was debunked by Reuters.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
For much Lifestyle articles, sojourn www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Christine Rousselle is simply a manner newsman pinch Fox News Digital.
