Gigantophis garstini
Encyclopedia
Gigantophis garstini was a prehistoric snake
which may have measured more than 10 metres (32.8 ft), larger than any living species of snake. It once took the mantle of largest snake before Titanoboa
, which was recently discovered in Colombia. Gigantophis lived approximately 40 million years ago in the southern Sahara
where Egypt
and Algeria
are now situated.
ns, pig-sized ancestors of modern elephants.
in Washington, D.C.
, has compared the fossil
vertebrae of a Gigantophis to those of the largest modern snakes, and concluded that the extinct snake could grow to 9.3 metres (30.5 ft) to 10.7 metres (35.1 ft) in length. If 10.7 metres (35.1 ft), it would have been more than 10 percent longer than its largest living relatives.
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
which may have measured more than 10 metres (32.8 ft), larger than any living species of snake. It once took the mantle of largest snake before Titanoboa
Titanoboa
Titanoboa, , meaning "titanic boa," is a genus of snake that lived approximately 58 to 60 million years ago, in the Paleocene epoch, a 10-million-year period immediately following the dinosaur extinction event...
, which was recently discovered in Colombia. Gigantophis lived approximately 40 million years ago in the southern Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
where Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
are now situated.
Discovery
The species is known only from a small number of fossils, and may have preyed on basal proboscideaProboscidea
Proboscidea is a taxonomic order containing one living family, Elephantidae, and several extinct families. This order was first described by J. Illiger in 1881 and encompasses the trunked mammals...
ns, pig-sized ancestors of modern elephants.
Size
Jason Head, of the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, has compared the fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
vertebrae of a Gigantophis to those of the largest modern snakes, and concluded that the extinct snake could grow to 9.3 metres (30.5 ft) to 10.7 metres (35.1 ft) in length. If 10.7 metres (35.1 ft), it would have been more than 10 percent longer than its largest living relatives.