Titanoboa
Enormous ancient snake
Titanoboa is an extinct genus of giant snake that lived roughly 60 million years ago in what is now Colombia.
The largest known snake to have existed, it reached lengths of over 40 feet and weighed more than a ton.
Fossils suggest it was a constrictor that lived in tropical swamps, preying on large fish and crocodilians.
Massive constricting serpent
- pythonNonvenomous squeezing snake
- reticulatedArranged in netlike pattern
- giant snakeVery large serpent
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
record · enormous · colossal · massive · monstrous · dwarfing · prehistoric · supersized
Preserved ancient organism
- PaleoceneEarliest Cenozoic epoch
- specimenIndividual for examination
- vertebraeInterlocking bones of spine
- skeletonInternal supportive framework
excavation · Colombia · discovery · extinction · prehistoric · epoch · sediment · coal mine
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
- swampWaterlogged land with vegetation
- tropicsWarm equatorial region
- humidContaining much moisture
- warmModerately heated, or friendly
climate · aquatic · river · prey · crocodilian · fish · apex predator · ecosystem
Snake killing by compression
- lengthMeasure of extent
- massQuantity of matter
- diameterDistance across through center
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
jaw · ribs · skull · body · coils · girth · vertebrae · teeth
Federally funded museum network
- documentaryFactual film about reality
- exhibitItem publicly displayed
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
- replicaFaithful scaled reproduction
animation · CGI · natural history · infographic · viral · sensational · Grand Central · educational
anaconda
Massive constricting serpent
- pythonNonvenomous squeezing snake
- reticulatedArranged in netlike pattern
- giant snakeVery large serpent
megafauna · record · enormous · colossal · massive · monstrous · dwarfing · prehistoric · supersized · behemoth
fossil
Preserved ancient organism
- PaleoceneEarliest Cenozoic epoch
- specimenIndividual for examination
- vertebraeInterlocking bones of spine
skeleton · excavation · Colombia · discovery · extinction · prehistoric · epoch · sediment · coal mine · reconstruction
rainforest
Wet tropical woodland ecosystem
warm · climate · aquatic · river · prey · crocodilian · fish · apex predator · ecosystem · habitat
constrictor
Snake killing by compression
scales · jaw · ribs · skull · body · coils · girth · vertebrae · teeth · musculature
Smithsonian
Federally funded museum network
- documentaryFactual film about reality
- exhibitItem publicly displayed
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
replica · animation · CGI · natural history · infographic · viral · sensational · Grand Central · educational · television
Titanoboagreen anaconda
Massive aquatic boa
king cobra · black mamba · venomous snakes · venomous snake · pit viper