{“_id”:”662472959c453a99c0073f7d”,”slug”:”gujarat-more-than-47-million-year-old-fossil-of-vasuki-snake-found-larger-than-anaconda-2024-04-21″,”type”:”story”,”status”:”publish”,”title_hn”:”Historic: Fossil of 4.7 crore year old snake species Vasuki found in Gujarat, much larger than Anaconda”,”category”:{“title”:”India News”,”title_hn”:”Country”,”slug”:”india-news”}}
Fossil of Vasuki snake found in Gujarat
– Photo : Amar Ujala
An ancient species of snake called Vasuki indicus has been discovered in Gujarat, which lived about 47 million years ago. In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers have described a new specimen recovered from the Panandhro lignite mine in Kutch, Gujarat, which dates back to the Middle Eocene period. The species has been named Vasuki indicus after the mythological snake. The name Vasuki is derived from the King Cobra that was wrapped around Lord Shiva’s neck. The word indicus means of India. Scientists have given this name to indicate that this cobra was found only in India and was as powerful and huge as Lord Shiva’s King Cobra.
This estimate was made
The researchers described 27 well-preserved vertebrae. The vertebrae ranged in length from 37.5 to 62.7 mm and in width from 62.4 to 111.4 mm and the body was cylindrical. Researchers from IIT Roorkee claim that this now extinct cobra must have been one of the longest cobras in the world. Today’s 6-metre (20-foot) anacondas and pythons were nothing compared to it. Researchers estimate that Vasuki indicus could have been between 10.9 and 15.2 metres long.
