A colossal prehistoric snake that lived in India about 47 million years ago may have been one of the largest snakes ever to exist. Known as Vasuki indicus, the ancient reptile could have reached an extraordinary 15.2 meters (50 feet) in length, putting it in the same league as Titanoboa, the enormous extinct snake long regarded as the largest ever discovered. The remarkable discovery, described in 2024 in the journal Scientific Reports, came from fossils unearthed in Gujarat, western India.
Researchers estimate that Vasuki measured between 10.9 and 15.2 meters (36 and 50 feet) long, although its exact size remains uncertain. Its enormous body and unusual evolutionary history offer a glimpse into a time when giant snakes inhabited the warm, tropical landscapes of ancient India. Paleontologists Debajit Datta and Sunil Bajpai of the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee identified the species from fossils recovered at the Panandhro Lignite Mine in Kutch, Gujarat.
The remains date to the Middle Eocene, a period roughly 47 million years ago when Earth's climate was considerably warmer than it is today. The researchers examined 27 fossilized vertebrae, the individual bones that make up a snake's backbone. Many were remarkably well preserved, and some remained connected in their original arrangement.
The bones appear to have belonged to a fully grown animal. The species was named Vasuki indicus in honor of Vasuki, the mythical serpent associated with the Hindu deity Shiva, who is traditionally depicted with the snake wrapped around his neck. The second part of the name refers to India, where the fossils were discovered.
Although the scientists did not recover a complete skeleton, the preserved backbone provides important clues about the snake's enormous proportions. Individual vertebrae measured between 37.5 and 62.7 millimeters (1.48 and 2.47 inches) long and between 62.4 and 111.4 millimeters (2.46 and 4.39 inches) wide. Their unusually broad shape suggests that Vasuki possessed a thick, cylindrical body capable of supporting tremendous weight.
To estimate its total length, the researchers compared the fossilized bones with vertebrae from living snakes whose body lengths are known. Two different methods produced estimates ranging from 10.9 to 12.2 meters (36 to 40 feet) and 14.5 to 15.2 meters (48 to 50 feet). Those measurements place Vasuki among the largest snakes ever identified.
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