Random Inside Coal Mine That Revealed Proof Of A Prehistoric Mega-Snake In A Land Of Enormous Reptiles (14 items)

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  (#3) The Enormous Titanoboa Hunted Crocodiles

  Scientists discovered fossils from the largest snake in history at Cerrejón. Named Titanoboa, the snake species grew up to 49 feet long and weighed more than two tons, and it dominated the tropical swamp. Scientists say the Titanoboa looked like a cross between a boa constrictor and an anaconda, but much larger.

  Titanoboa hunted enormous turtles and crocodiles, making it an apex predator. And scientists didn't just find one snake at the Colombian coal mine. By 2009, the digs had uncovered nearly 30 snakes, all of which measured at least 42 feet long. According to paleontologist Carlos Jaramillo, "What we have is a population of big snakes. It's not one snake. It's a bunch of them."
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  (#13) The Coal Mine Sheds Light On The Meteorite Strike That Wiped Out The Dinosaurs

  The ridge that makes up Cerrejón's coal deposit is around 60 million years old. At that time, Colombia was a tropical rainforest filled with giant snakes, crocodiles, and turtles. But the ecosystem thrived after the event that wiped out the dinosaurs.

  In fact, the coal mine sheds light on the meteorite that struck the Yucatan Peninsula. The strike created an environmental crisis. The clues from Cerrejón show how creatures like Titanoboa thrived in the changed environment, while other animals, like the prehistoric crocodiles who survived, had to adapt to changes.
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  (#10) Gigantic Turtle Shells From The Coal Mine Revealed New Species

  A species of prehistoric turtle discovered at Cerrejón had a circular shell at least five feet wide. The turtle, called Puentemys mushaisaensis, after the coal mine's La Puente pit, wasn't just larger than modern turtles - its circular shell also sets it apart.

  Scientists believe the unique, circular shell gave the turtle an advantage. The flat, round shell let the prehistoric turtles swim with little water resistance, and on land, the shell helped soak up heat to keep the turtle moving. 

  The shell may have also protected the turtle from predators, like Titanoboa. The massive snake likely couldn't fit the turtle's wide, flat shell into its mouth.
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  (#5) The Prehistoric Snake Was As Long As A School Bus

  Titanoboa wasn't just the largest snake in history - it ranks as one of the largest animals ever. The snake grew up to 49 feet, making it as long as a school bus. Titanoboa weighed as much as 2,500 pounds or the size of a small rhino. 

  The sheer size of Titanoboa provided valuable information for scientists. As a cold-blooded reptile, Titanoboa must have lived in a very warm climate to support its size. Researchers estimated that the average temperature in Titanoboa's habitat might have exceeded 90 degrees, providing helpful evidence about prehistoric climates.
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  (#4) It Took Scientists Years To Realize They'd Found The World's Largest Snake

  Titanoboa was hiding in plain sight at the coal mine. When paleontologists began collecting fossils in 2003-2004, they were overwhelmed by the number of items. A large group was mislabeled as prehistoric crocodile vertebrae because of their size.

  It wasn't until 2007 that scientists realized they belonged to a snake. Johnathan Bloch explains:

  My only excuse for not recognizing them is that I’ve picked up snake vertebrae before. And I said, "These can’t be snake vertebrae." It’s like somebody handed me a mouse skull the size of a rhinoceros and told me "That’s a mouse." It’s just not possible.
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  (#2) The Fossils Almost Weren't Discovered At All

  The coal company that mined Cerrejón knew there were fossils in their pits. In 1990, a geologist named Henry Garcia picked a fossil up from the ground and put it on display back at the office. Garcia wasn't sure of the fossil's identity, so he called it "Petrified Branch."

  In 2003, paleobiologist Scott Wing took a picture of the "Petrified Branch" and sent it to a paleontologist friend named Johnathan Bloch. “I flipped out,” Bloch recalled. He knew it wasn't a petrified branch at all, but the fossilized jawbone of an animal. It was the first fossil from a land vertebrate found in tropical South America.

  Bloch immediately flew to Colombia to look at the fossil, but no one could find the key to the display case. Instead, the eager scientists broke the glass and confirmed the major find.

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