Titanoboa: Colombian fossils reveal largest known snake
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In northern Colombia, paleontologists discovered the fossilized remains of Titanoboa cerrejonensis, a prehistoric snake that lived around 60 million years ago.
Edwin Cadena, a Colombian paleontologist, first found the bones in a coal mine in La Guajira in 2005. Initially, researchers thought the remains might belong to a giant crocodile, but further excavations uncovered more specimens, revealing a new species of snake.
Scientists estimate Titanoboa reached lengths of 12.8 to 15 meters and weighed over one metric ton, making it the largest snake ever discovered in the fossil record. The discovery of 29 individual specimens, including skulls, vertebrae, and ribs, helped researchers understand the snake’s anatomy and place it within the boa family.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and the Florida Museum of Natural History in the United States led research published in the journal Nature in 2009, bringing international attention to the El Cerrejon coal mine as a significant paleontological site. The fossils also provided insights into the environment of South America after the extinction of the dinosaurs. La Guajira was then a tropical rainforest, and Titanoboa’s massive size suggests warmer temperatures than the region experiences today.
Researchers study the relationship between reptile size and climate to learn more about Earth’s past. The José Royo y Gómez National Geological Museum in Bogota, Colombia, now exhibits the original fossils, allowing the public to view them since an August 2024 opening.
