Meet Titanoboa: The 45-foot prehistoric giant snake that ruled Earth after dinosaurs

Sixty million years ago, the rainforest had a king. It was not a dinosaur or a crocodile. It was a snake so large it defies belief. It was called Titanoboa. It was 45 feet long, the massive snake. It weighed more than a tonne and easily crushed its prey.

How was Titanoboa found in Colombia's coal mines?

In 2009, scientists unearthed Titanoboa fossils in Cerrejón mines. The hot climate then allowed reptiles to grow enormous. Titanoboa lived in swampy waters, ambushing fish and crocodiles. Unlike venomous snakes today, it was a constrictor predator. It coiled around victims with bone-snapping strength before swallowing them whole. Its flexible jaws let it consume creatures larger than itself.

The largest modern snake, the green anaconda, is impressive. Yet it reaches only 30 feet and weighs 500 pounds. Titanoboa was nearly twice as long and five times heavier. It lived during the Paleocene epoch, after dinosaurs vanished. There were no giant reptiles in its time. Titanoboa dominated tropical wetlands. Its fossils show it formed an early mammal and fish ecosystem.