FOSSILS ET AL.
The new serpent king: Vasuki indicus
A major discovery of an ancient snake that could best the Titanoboa in length
The Limelight
Since its discovery in the early 2000s, paleontologists all around the world have been fascinated by the giant Titanoboa cerrejonensis, a 45 feet long and over 1000 kilograms snake that used to terrorize the tropical forests of South America around 60 million years ago. But recently, paleontologists working in the Indian state of Gujarat have been able to identify and describe another giant serpent through 27 well-preserved vertebrae (bones of the spine) recovered from the Panandhro Lignite Mine. The fossils were recovered around the same time as those of Titanoboa. Still, due to their massive size, scientists thought that they belonged to a crocodile and were left alone until 2022, when a research team of IIT Roorkee began re-examining the fossils. This snake was eventually named Vasuki indicus.
Nomenclature, Size, and Origin
The genus ‘Vasuki’ has been named after the mythical divine serpent in the Hindu religion, and rightly so, as this snake is estimated to be between 36 to 50 feet in length, which is longer than the Titanoboa (even though the vertebral dimensions of Vasuki is smaller than Titanoboa). Vasuki is a member of the extinct Madtsoiidae clade, and according to scientists, comparing it with other African madtsoiids reveals that they all had an Indian origin. It is a possibility that during the Eocene (around 50 million years ago), when India collided with Eurasia, these species spread to North Africa through Eurasia.
Behavior
Morphological studies of this snake have revealed some information about its habitat and hunting behavior. The vertebrae of Vasuki are transversely wide—meaning they are longer when measured side to side—which would have been associated with ribs placed sideways on the body. This suggests a broad and cylindrical body. It also suggests a non-aquatic lifestyle, as opposed to aquatic snakes that have transversely compressed vertebrae.
As mentioned earlier, the length of the vertebrae of Vasuki is small, and when combined with the snake's large size, it makes it unlikely they dwelled in trees. Also, because of its large size, it is highly unlikely that it used to live in burrows. Similarities between the vertebrae of Vasuki and modern pythons indicate a rectilinear locomotive motion and a terrestrial or semi-aquatic life. Additionally, it was too large to chase after prey actively and was most likely an ambush predator like anacondas.
An interesting diet
Now, this is interesting. Though not officially confirmed, this snake could have eaten whales! Not the modern day whales though, those are way to big even for Vasuki. We are talking about one of the earliest ancestors of modern-day whales, the Pakicetus. As the name suggests, this semi-aquatic animal was about the size of a wolf and lived in modern-day Pakistan. So it lived right where Vasuki existed and around the same time, 50 million years ago. Pakicetus may have spent more time in the deep sea to avoid this monster snake, and, over time, its lineage evolved into what we know as modern whales (the evolution was super fast; it took only 10 million years).
Why the large size
The uniquely large size of Vasuki indicus has been correlated with higher average temperatures during the Eocene epoch. During the late Paleocene and early Eocene, there was a period known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM around 55.8 million years ago), when the global temperature soared to about 30 degrees Celsius, triggering many major extinctions. And even though the global average temperature came down to 23 degrees Celsius during the middle Eocene (47 million years ago), the Earth was still warmer than today (the average global temperature today is about 17 degrees Celsius). An increase in temperature increases the metabolic rate in cold-blooded animals like snakes, allowing them to reach such sizes.
The discovery and description of Vasuki indicus make us wonder about the size and number of monster species of animals that have managed to escape the eyes of paleontologists until now. It also highlights the effect of the environment on the planet's living beings. The exact reason(s) for this snake's extinction is not known yet, as this is still a very recent discovery, but it may have something to do with climate change as well.
Thanks for reading!
Published in Fossils et al. Follow to learn more about Paleontology and Evolution.
