As a result of living with Matilda the cornsnake, I became interested in snakes. Cornsnakes are constrictors with slender, pretty heads. They grow to about 3 feet long, which is a nice size for a pet snake.
A news article about a newly-found snake fossil from 60 million years ago caught my eye yesterday. Found in Columbia, the fossil indicates that the snake was 42 to 45 feet long, weighing over 2.500 pounds. Related to modern boa constrictors, the snake spent most of its time in the water like an anaconda. Hard to imagine the size? This quotation helps:
"This thing weighs more than a bison and is longer than a city bus," enthused snake expert Jack Conrad of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
"It could easily eat something the size of a cow. A human would just be toast immediately."
Good thing we weren't around at the time. We'd be like cookies to an Airedale or bugs to a chicken--it would take a lot of us to fill that tummy.
There are lots of articles about the find. Here's one:
BBC news
Mom can't stand snakes! She says the only good snake is a dead one! ewwwwwwwwwww
ReplyDeleteLove ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch
Hee hee, we saw this on the BBC news in England. Our hooman disappeared out of the room pretty smartish when she heard the headlines.
ReplyDeleteMolly and Taffy
Very interesting........but kinda scary when you think about the size of that critter.
ReplyDeleteHave a good one,
Karen and Bentman.
Quite the beast. Mom loves dinosaurs, so she found this very interesting.
ReplyDeleteLove Ruby
I think Nigel just hid under the couch and muttered "No thank you..."
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of snakes around our house, but none THAT big! Thank doGness! Our mom is only afraid of 4 kinds of snakes...big ones, little ones, live ones and dead ones! What a wuss!
ReplyDeleteAire-hugs,
Poppy, Penny & Patches
We have a lot of snakes around our house, but none THAT big! Thank doGness! Our mom is only afraid of 4 kinds of snakes...big ones, little ones, live ones and dead ones! What a wuss!
ReplyDeleteAire-hugs,
Poppy, Penny & Patches