![]() Geological Survey observe in a 300-page assessment. Or so Gordon Rodda and Robert Reed of the U.S. Based on comparisons of the temperatures, rainfall and land cover found in the snakes’ native range, it’s possible that these slithering behemoths could stake claims to territory as far north as coastal Delaware and Oregon. Indeed, the homelands of these snakes share climatic features with large portions of the United States - territory currently inhabited by some 120 million Americans. Skip Snow, NPS/USGS MAPPING SNAKE COMFORT ZONES The red states contain climate and land features that might make them hospitable to giant, invasive snakes. Roy Wood, NPS/USGS ANACONDA This yellow anaconda was picked up in Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve. coasts as far north as Oregon and Delaware. USGS MOVING UP NORTH? This cold-tolerant Burmese python, captured in Florida, could theoretically survive along the U.S. Exotic snakes are making inroads in domestic climes, as described in the Science & the Public blog. THE BIG WRAP This matchup between a Florida gator and Burmese python shows the snake’s tenacity in hunting big game. Which is why a report that was released today contends they pose moderate to high ecological threats to states on three U.S. And there’s nothing holding them in the Sunshine State. Today, thousands of really big non-native snakes - we’re talking boa constrictors, anacondas and pythons - slither wild in southern Florida. ![]() Most are probably descendants of released pets. So, you know what to do.Some were pets whose bodies and appetites apparently got too big for their owners to support. This is because the fossil record is notoriously bad at this time, and therefore we're probably just not finding the fossils needed to help fill the gaps in the puzzle. This distinction in time and space suggests that during the Cretaceous, these strange snakes were much more widespread across the southern continents, although it is remains difficult to know exactly what happened. Its scaly cousin was much older, living in the latest Cretaceous, before the great dinosaur extinction. Down the ladder Gigantophis went.Ī new analysis of Gigantophis' evolutionary relationships found that its closest relative was an Indian species called Madtsoia. However, in 2009, Titanoboa was discovered from the Paleocene of Colombia, which has since gained notorious fame for its immense slithery size, coming in at around 12-13 metres in length. When discovered, researchers thought that Gigantophis was the biggest of all snakes ever known, and an analysis in 2004 estimated that it could grow to around 10 meters in length! Instead, Gigantophis appears to have been confined to the late Eocene of North Africa.īy comparing the vertebrae to those of living snakes, they were able to estimate that Gigantophis was around 7 metres in length. What they discovered is that other material that had been referred to this species from Pakistan was markedly different, and most likely a new species altogether. ![]() They compared them to similar fossils from across North Africa and Pakistan, to see what they could learn about the mystery giant snake. supervisor!) recently undertook the mammoth task of redescribing and analysing these vertebrae. Jonathan Rio and Phil Mannion (my old Ph.D. Geographic distribution of Madtsoiidae, plotted on a present-day map. Previous research from the early 20th century only briefly figured and described the specimens, which have otherwise remained unstudied in the Egyptian Geological Museum in Cairo for more than a century. However, Gigantophis isn't that well understood by scientists, and only 20 vertebra are known in total for the species. From the name, you can probably tell that this was one hefty snake, bigger than an anaconda and making most modern species look like something you'd find in a pick n mix. It was discovered from 40 million year old rocks in very, very ancient Egypt. The first named madtsoiid was back in 1901, and called Gigantophis garstini. They are now extinct, with a range of around 100 million years, making them one of the longest lived lineages ever. One particular group of snakes, Madtsoiidae, used to be widely distributed around the world back in the Cretaceous when the dinosaurs ruled. ![]() Over geological time, they have come in all sorts of shapes and sizes (typically still sausage-ish shaped), and have a unique evolutionary history.
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