It lived 56 million years ago... Discovery of the largest sea snake known to history
The giant creatures known to history are limited to the dinosaurs that dominated the land, as the ancient seas and oceans were also the stage for creatures of enormous size.
Among these creatures stands out Palaeophis colossaeus, the largest sea snake known to science, which lived about 56 million years ago, revealing an amazing aspect of the history of life in the deep sea.
Scientists base their knowledge of this giant snake solely on fossilized vertebrae, but their exceptional size has allowed researchers to estimate its length at over 10 meters, far surpassing all modern sea snake species. A scientific study published in 2018 described these vertebrae as the largest ever discovered among both sea and land snakes.
Geological evidence suggests that this snake lived in warm, shallow waters that once covered large parts of North Africa, within what is known as the Trans-Saharan Sea Corridor, during a period when Earth experienced temperatures much higher than current levels. This rich environment provided ideal habitats for sharks and giant marine reptiles, creating conditions conducive to the flourishing of a marine predator of this size.
Although scientists don't know what kind of prey this snake fed on, its enormous size suggests it had large meals, perhaps including sharks or large marine reptiles like dirosaurids. These hypotheses remain based on the analysis of fossilized vertebrae, given the absence of a skull or complete skeleton.
In comparison, most modern sea snakes do not exceed three meters in length, making them relatively small compared to Palaeophis colossaeus. Even the famous Titanoboa, the largest land snake known to history, was only slightly longer. Scientists believe that the disappearance of this giant snake occurred gradually as a result of climate change and the shrinking of seas, which reshaped marine ecosystems in favor of smaller creatures.
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