In modern constrictors like boids and pythonids, increased body size is achieved through larger vertebrae rather than an increase in the number of bones making up the skeleton, allowing for length estimates based on individual bones. Description Size The relative size of Titanoboa to the modern human, Palaeophis, Gigantophis, reticulated python, and green anaconda.īased on the size of the vertebrae, Titanoboa is the largest snake in the paleontological record. A documentary on the animal titled Titanoboa: Monster Snake aired in 2012 in addition to a touring exhibit of the same name, which lasted from 2013 to 2018. Though the skulls are undescribed, an article by the BBC in 2012 and an abstract in the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology have been published. They were associated with postcranial material, cementing their referral to the species. Most notably, the group returned with three disarticulated skulls of Titanoboa, making it one of the few fossil snakes with preserved cranial material. Īnother expedition to Cerrejón launched in 2011 found more fossils from Titanoboa. The species name is a reference to the Cerrejón region it is known from. The genus name derives from the Greek word "Titan" in addition to Boa, the type genus of the family Boidae. The snake elements were described as those of a novel, giant boid snake that they named Titanoboa cerrejonensis. The fossils were then transported to the Florida Museum of Natural History, where they were studied and described by an international team of Canadian, American, and Panamanian scientists in 2009 led by Jason J. Before this discovery, few fossils of Paleocene-epoch vertebrates had been found in ancient tropical environments of South America. These were found in association with other giant reptile fossils of turtles and crocodilians from the Cerrejón Formation, dating to the mid- late Paleocene epoch (around 60-58 mya), a period just after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The expedition lasted until 2004, during which the fossils of Titanoboa were mistakenly labeled as those of crocodiles. More fossils were unearthed over the course of the expedition, eventually totaling 186 fossils from 30 individuals. In 2002, during an expedition to the coal mines of Cerrejón in La Guajira launched by the University of Florida and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, large thoracic vertebrae and ribs were unearthed by the students Jonathon Bloch and Carlos Jaramillo. Main articles: Cerrejón Formation and Cerrejón Although originally thought to be an apex predator, the discovery of skull bones revealed that it was more than likely specialized in preying on fish. Its vertebrae are very robust and wide, with a pentagonal shape in anterior view, as in other members of Boinae. Titanoboa evolved following the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs, being one of the largest reptiles to evolve after the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction event. The discovery of Titanoboa cerrejonensis supplanted the previous record holder, Gigantophis garstini, which is known from the Eocene of Egypt. Titanoboa is in the subfamily Boinae, being most closely related to other extant boines from Madagascar and the Pacific. It was originally known only from thoracic vertebrae and ribs, but later expeditions collected parts of the skull and teeth. It was named and described in 2009 as Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever found. Titanoboa was first discovered in the early 2000s by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute who, along with students from the University of Florida, recovered 186 fossils of Titanoboa from La Guajira in northeastern Colombia. 'titanic boa') is an extinct genus of giant boid, the family that includes all boas and anacondas, snake that lived during the middle and late Paleocene. Titanoboa ( / ˌ t aɪ t ə n ə ˈ b oʊ ə/ lit.
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