Photograph courtesy Jeff Gage, University of Florida
Published February 5, 2010
A new species of prehistoric croc has been unearthed in Colombia—and the ancient reptile was likely prey for the largest known snake ever to have slithered the Earth, a new study says.
But if you're hoping for a prehistoric clash of the titans, you're out of luck: The 7-foot-long (2.1-meter-long) crocodile relative—called Cerrejonisuchus improcerus—wouldn't have stood a fighting chance against the 45-foot-long (13.7-meter-long) Titanoboa cerrejonesis, researchers say. (See pictures of Titanoboa, the biggest snake in history.)
There would have been "no competition whatsoever," said study leader Alex Hastings, a University of Florida graduate student in vertebrate paleontology who works with the school's the Florida Museum of Natural History.
"Even the smallest Titanoboa ... would have no problem downing even the largest of the new crocodilyforms we found." Crocodilyforms are reptiles that belong to the order Crocodilia, which includes, crocodiles, alligators, caimans (picture), and gavials, among other species.
Fossils of the snake and the newfound crocodile relative were found next to each other between 2004 and 2007 in an open-pit coal mine in northeastern Colombia—a "remarkable" fossil site, Hastings said.
Both reptiles lived in South America 60 million years ago, when the local environment was on the cusp of transitioning into the continent's well-known modern rain forests.
The fossil site is "one of the first glimpses of the beginning of the ecosystem that we have today," Hastings said.
(Related: "World's Biggest Snake Lived in First 'Modern' Rain Forest.")
Titanoboa's Big Squeeze
In addition to finding the creatures side by side, the case for snake vs. crocodyliform battles is strengthened by the behavior of the animals' modern descendants, according to the study, published January 28 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
For instance, modern anacondas in the Amazon—including the current titleholder for world's biggest snake, the green anaconda—often eat living members of the croc family, such as caimans.
Like these snakes, Titanoboa probably waited by the water's edge to catch C. improcerus off guard before squeezing the "little guy" to death, Hastings said. "It was not a good end for the poor crocodyliform."
(See a related picture: "Python Bursts After Eating Gator.")
When it managed to avoid Titanoboa's grasp, C. improcerus likely munched on tiny snakes, frogs, lizards, and mammals. The crocodile relative was the smallest of its family, the dyrosaurids, and had an unusually short snout, seemingly adapted to nabbing critters that would have been ignored by bigger crocodyliforms.
As for Titanoboa—the largest land animal during that time—the research gives another hint at the massive snake's power, Hastings added.
"It's fleshing out that story of what [these] reptiles were capable of."
Most Popular News
-
Black Hole Seen Eating Asteroids?
An ongoing rocky buffet would explain bright x-ray flares seen around our galaxy's supermassive black hole since 1999, astronomers say.
-
Zebra Stripes Are Bug Repellant?
Stripes may do more than help zebras hide in tall grass—the pattern may scramble the vision of bloodsucking horseflies
-
Lake Vostok Breached
Russian scientists have confirmed that they have breached the subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica—a first.
Advertisement
News Blogs
-
Ireland to Charge for Water for the First Time
New plan aims to boost water conservation.
-
Texas Moves to Save Critical Groundwater
Ogallala Aquifer has dropped as much as 150 feet.
-
Good News, Bad News on U.S. Energy Outlook
The "all of the above" energy approach Obama championed in his State of the Union speech is at odds with U.S. climate goals.
ScienceBlogs Picks
Connect With Nat Geo
Got Something to Share?
Special Ad Section
Great Energy Challenge Blog
Green Living Hot Topics
-
Organic Air Fresheners
Avoid toxic chemicals and create a calming space.
-
Surprising Recyclable Household Items
With a little know-how, you can recycle more than you think.
-
Side Effects of Vegetarianism
Find out how to stay healthy and eat lower on the food chain.
