About the length of a small school bus. anacondas are among the largest snakes in the world. Now fossils prove that these huge reptiles are also glimpses of the ancient world. According to a study published Dec. 1 in the journal Journal of Vertebrate PaleontologyAnacondas reached their maximum length about 12.4 million years ago and have remained giants ever since.
Some of today's largest animal species are dwarfed by those of the Middle and Upper Miocene. ancestors of megafauna. South America black caiman crocodile (Melanosuchus nigerian) grew up to 21 feet in length, but about 16 million years ago it Purussaurus Relatives of the genus had an average length of about 34 feet. Meanwhile, freshwater turtles Stupendemis The genus, which arose nine million years ago, had shells more than 10 feet wide.
A number of factors contributed to the Miocene growth spurt, such as a warmer and wetter climate, as well as more food to support large animals. But while evolution has often ended up favoring (relatively) smaller species, one group of snakes has remained unchanged for millions of years.
“Other species, such as giant crocodiles and giant tortoises, have gone extinct since the Miocene, probably due to global cooling and habitat loss,” University of Cambridge zoologist and study co-author Andres Alfonso-Rojas. says the statement. “But the giant anacondas survived—they are super-hardy.”
Anacondas can sometimes reach up to 30 feet in length and thrive in semi-aquatic environments such as swamps, large rivers and swamps of the Amazon region. But although today the rainforest basin covers about 2.7 million square miles, virtually all of northern South America had similar habitats that allowed the snakes to thrive.
Knowing this, Alfonso-Rojas and his colleagues examined 183 fossilized anaconda vertebrae from at least 32 different snakes collected in Venezuela. Combined with additional fossil data collected throughout South America, the team determined that Miocene anacondas typically reached lengths of 13 to 16.5 feet. It is almost identical to adult anacondas of modern times. Evnect genus. Until the new study, paleontologists weren't entirely sure when in Earth's history snakes first reached their impressive size.
The team also discovered an unexpected twist in the snake's evolutionary trajectory. Basically anacondas have Always were the megafauna they are today.
“This is a surprising result because we expected to find that ancient anacondas were seven or eight meters tall. [22.9 or 26.2 feet]”But we don't have any evidence of a larger snake from the Miocene, when global temperatures were higher,” Alfonso-Rojas said.
Anacondas have remained apex predators for over 12 million years and are not considered endangered, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily safe. Rainforests may still be the same size, but climate change and deforestation are serious threats. Without conservation efforts, megafauna may finally meet their match in the near future.
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