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szdaily -> Speak Shenzhen -> 
Colossal prehistoric snake discovered in India
    2024-04-25  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

A giant prehistoric snake longer than a school bus slithered around what is now India 47 million years ago, according to new research.

The extinct snake may have been one of the largest to have ever lived, dwarfing present-day anacondas and pythons that can grow to about 6 meters. The colossal creature’s scientific name is Vasuki indicus, after the mythical serpent around the neck of Hindu deity Lord Shiva and the country of its discovery.

The snake was likely a slow-moving, ambush predator that subdued its prey by constriction or squeezing them to death, according to the study.

The report’s two authors, based at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in the state of Uttarakhand, analyzed 27 fossilized vertebrae — some still connected to one another — that were uncovered in 2005 at a coal mine in western India’s Gujarat state.

Initially, the team thought the bones belonged to an ancient crocodile-like creature. It wasn’t until the researchers removed sediment from the fossils during the study’s initial stage in 2023 that they realized they “were looking at the remains of an exceptionally large snake,” the authors said. The vertebrae appeared to belong to a fully grown animal, the study said.

“There are a number of possible reasons for its large size which range from favorable environment with ample food resources to lack of natural predators,” said coauthors Debajit Datta, a postdoctoral fellow, and Sunil Bajpai, a professor of paleontology.

“Another driving force could be the prevalence of warmer climatic conditions than at present,” they said.

Based on the size of the preserved vertebrae, the researchers estimated that the snake would have been 10.9 meters to 15.2 meters in length, based on two different calculation methods, with a broad and cylindrical body.

The authors believe it lived on land rather than water, like an anaconda, but it was unlikely to have hung out in trees due to its size.

The authors said that the body length estimates “should be treated with caution” because they didn’t have a complete skeleton. However, the snake would have rivaled the largest known snake species — the extinct Titanoboa — in size.

Identified from fossils in Colombia, Titanoboa would have weighed 1,140 kilograms and measured 13 meters from nose to tail tip.

Snakes are cold-blooded and need heat from the environment to survive. Their size, therefore, depends on how warm the climate is. “Their internal body temperature fluctuates with the ambient temperature of the environment,” the authors said. “So, higher ambient temperatures would have increased the internal body temperature and metabolic rate of Vasuki which in turn would have allowed it to grow so large.”

(SD-Agencies)

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【巨大的】jùdà de colossal extremely large

【相媲美】xiāng pìměi rival be as good, clever, beautiful, etc. as someone or something else

新研究发现,4700万年前的印度地区曾生活过比校车还长的史前巨蛇。

这种已经灭绝的蛇可能是史上体型最大的蛇之一,与之相比能长到6米左右的蟒蛇和巨蟒简直微不足道。这种巨蛇的学名是印度婆苏吉,源自湿婆神脖子上的大蛇以及它的国度。

研究称,这种蛇可能行动缓慢,在隐蔽处伏击,通过缠绕挤压让猎物窒息。

研究报告的两位作者来自北阿坎德邦的印度罗尔基理工学院,他们分析了2005年在印度西部古吉拉特邦的一个煤矿中发现的27块椎骨化石,其中一些椎骨仍彼此相连。

最初,研究小组认为骨骼属于一种类似鳄鱼的远古生物。研究始于2023年,研究人员清除了化石上的沉积物后忽然意识到“这是一条巨蛇的遗骸”。

研究报告说,这些椎骨的主人已成年。报告合著者是博士后研究员德巴吉特•达塔和古生物学教授苏尼尔•巴杰帕伊。他们说:“它之所以体型庞大,可能有多种原因,比如有利的环境和充足的食物、以及缺乏天敌。另一个原因可能是那时气候普遍比现在温暖。”

根据保存下来的脊椎骨的大小,研究人员按照两种不同口径估算,这种蛇的体长应该在10.9米到15.2米之间,身体呈宽大的圆柱形。

研究人员认为它像蟒蛇一样生活在陆地上,而不是在水里,由于体型巨大它也不太可能在树上活动。

作者说,由于没有完整的骨架,因此“应该谨慎看待”估算的体长。不过,这种蛇的体型可与已知最大的蛇 —— 已灭绝的泰坦巨蟒 —— 相媲美。

根据哥伦比亚发掘的化石推算,泰坦巨蟒重1140千克,从鼻尖到尾尖长13米。

蛇是冷血动物,需要生存在温暖的环境中,因此它们的体型大小取决于气候的温暖程度。

作者说:“它们的体温随着环境温度的变化而波动。因此,较高的环境温度会让婆苏吉蛇的体温升高、新陈代谢加快,让它能长得如此巨大。”(Translated by Debra)

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