World's Largest Snake's Fossil Bones Discovered in Colombia

Fossil remains of the "world's largest snake" have been reported. The world's largest snake apparently existed between 58 and 60 million years ago.

The International Herald Tribune posts a Reuters article, "Fossil remains of world's biggest snake are found," that goes on to say that the fossil was found in Colombia is called Titanboa cerrejonenses which means titanic boa from Cerrejon.

The statistics of the snake are astounding. It was a meter wide; it was about 43 feet long and weighed about 2,500 pounds. The information regarding the snake was as a result of parts of 28 specimens consisting of ribs and vertebrae. No parts of the skull and no teeth were found. The largest snake Titanboa was possibly 15 meters long.

Prior to this snake, the largest snake on record was the Gigantophis from Egypt that measured 10 feet long. The largest living snake is the reticulated python that can be as long as nine meters.

I have to take exception to one issue in the article.

The article refers to "the mass extinction that doomed the dinosaurs and many other creatures." Dinosaurian extinction can be one of many theories that runs the gamut from a major impact to Deccan traps (material allergic effects), to affecting just dinosaurs to a large number of animals. There is no way the article can purport the snake was a part of this situation or that it even was the situation; too little is known.

Reticulated Pythons can reach 32 feet long. They are from Southeast Asia. They are very good swimmers and are often found out at sea. While they feed on mammals and birds, they can be a danger to humans. There have been records of deaths and even humans being eaten.

When I think back to my time in Vietnam I shudder. As a kid I was a fearless swimmer. I was stationed on the Gulf of Tonkin and often went swimming. Some of the flotsam I swam under could very easily have been hiding pythons-or sharks. Of course the water is murky so if I had been attacked who would have known?

All I can say is that God does in fact protect the weak of mind.

References:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/04/america/snake.4-423161.php

http://images.google.com/images?oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=reticulated+pythons&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=WR6LSZPTEZSaNeuxlc4H&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title