How cool is this?! It turns out that just after the dinosaurs left the scene, the new sherriff in town was a 2500 pound snake that ate pretty much whatever it felt like eating. The pic at left shows the vertebra of a green anaconda (the smaller, light colored bone in the center) dwarfed by the same sort of bone from a titanoboa. As you can see, these guys were BIG - something like 40-50 feet or more.
The new discovery, Titanoboa cerrejonensis, ruled the rainforests about 58 to 60 million years ago. The story, including an unnecessary reference to the horrible J-Lo flick, Ananconda, can be found here.
On my top 10 list of times in history to visit when R&D finally finishes my time machine, "Giant Constrictors Rule the Earth" has just edged out "The Little Ice Age" for spot number 10...
I so want that snake. Pick me up one when you get back in time. Give me a few months notice to build the enclosure though.
ReplyDeleteWill do. You'll need to lay in a supply of meals for it...
ReplyDeleteYeah, if you do it before I leave academia I believe I have that under control.
ReplyDeleteyeah - the stoopid ones breed the fastest...
ReplyDeletewant,want, want one!
Undergrads are actually quite nutritious, so that might work...
ReplyDeleteHmm. I don't like it, no sir no giant snakes for me. I think I'll be far far away from those for the rest of the foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteNo, Cerus is not allowed to get one of those. I don't care what he says.
ReplyDelete