# Snake Supreme (DD-694) > Titanoboa cerrejonensis was a giant boid snake, a relative of today's boas and anacondas. Its fossils come from the Cerrejón coal mine in northeastern Colombia, in rocks 58 to 60 million years old, from the oldest known neotropical rainforest. Describing it in Nature in 2009, Jason Head and colleagues estimated it at about 13 m (43 ft) long and 1,135 kg. They also argued that a cold-blooded snake that size needed a mean annual temperature of about 30 to 34 °C. Later estimates run from about 12.8 to 14.3 m. In 2024, Vasuki indicus, a madtsoiid snake from India about 47 million years old, was estimated at 10.9 to 15.2 m. That makes it a possible rival, though Titanoboa's vertebrae are slightly larger. - Department: Nature (also History) - First published: 2026-01-16 - Last updated: 2026-01-16 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/snake-supreme/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **2009**: Titanoboa cerrejonensis is described in Nature - **2024**: Vasuki indicus is described as a possible rival to Titanoboa in size Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=snake-supreme ## Quick facts - **DD-694-F01**: Head et al. (2009) estimated Titanoboa at about 13 m and 1,135 kg. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (How big))_ - **DD-694-F02**: Vasuki indicus, described in 2024, may rival Titanoboa in length. _(Write-up · Exhibit E (A new rival))_ ## Write-up A snake as long as a bus. Titanoboa lived in Colombia about 60 million years ago. 1. **Found in a coal mine**: Titanoboa's vertebrae came from the Cerrejón Formation in La Guajira, Colombia, which preserves the oldest known neotropical rainforest fauna, 58 to 60 million years old. 2. **How big**: Head et al. estimated about 13 m long and 1,135 kg from vertebra size. Later estimates range from about 12.8 to 14.3 m. The Reel's 50 ft (15 m) upper figure is on the high side. 3. **A climate thermometer**: Because snakes depend on outside heat, the authors argued that a snake that size needed a mean annual temperature of about 30 to 34 °C, evidence of a hotter Paleocene tropics. 4. **Anaconda-like life**: The rocks and the animals found with it point to a swampy, river-rich habitat. Titanoboa probably lived like an anaconda and ate fish and crocodilians. 5. **A new rival**: In 2024, Vasuki indicus from Gujarat, India, was estimated at 10.9 to 15.2 m. Its upper estimate exceeds Titanoboa's, but its vertebrae are slightly smaller, and neither skeleton is complete. ## Related case files - [Chicxulub Crater (DD-693)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/chicxulub-crater/): Another case from tens of millions of years ago - [Whale Milk (DD-729)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/whale-milk/): Another giant-animal case - [PoisOrVen? (DD-097)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/poisorven/): I linked more about snakes - [King Cobra (DD-163)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/king-cobra/): I linked another record-setting snake - [Very Slippery (DD-262)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/very-slippery/): I linked more about snakes - [insularis blue (DD-628)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/insularis-blue/): Another snake case - [Tree Scaling (DD-650)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/tree-scaling/): Another snake case - [Arapaima Gigas (DD-684)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/arapaima-gigas/): Another South American giant ## Reel vs. record - **Length**: the published estimate is about 13 m (43 ft), with later estimates from about 12.8 to 14.3 m. '42-50 ft' stretches the upper end. - **Possibly not the largest**: Vasuki indicus (India, about 47 million years ago) was estimated at 10.9 to 15.2 m in 2024, though Titanoboa's vertebrae are slightly larger. - **Missing name**: the species is Titanoboa cerrejonensis, named for the Cerrejón coal mine where it was found. - **Missing science**: its size implies a tropical mean annual temperature of about 30 to 34 °C, according to Head et al. (2009). - **Precision**: 'over a ton' matches the 1,135 kg estimate, but mass estimates vary widely because only vertebrae and ribs were found. ## Video: Snake Supreme: A Snake as Long as a Bus - Duration: 19.7 s · Published: 2026-01-16 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DTleduXki4G.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? Titanoboa was an enormous prehistoric snake that lived about 58-60 million years ago, in what is now Colombia, thriving in the hot, swampy forests that formed after the dinosaurs went extinct. Reaching an estimated 42-50 ft in length and weighing over a ton, it was the largest snake ever known, with a body so thick it could rival an oil drum. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: Where were Titanoboa's fossils found?** A: The Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Found in a coal mine) · Head et al. (2009), Giant boid snake from the Palaeocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures, Nature)_ **Q: What length did Head et al. (2009) estimate?** A: About 13 m (43 ft). _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (How big) · Head et al. (2009), Giant boid snake from the Palaeocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures, Nature; New Scientist (2024): Fossil snake discovered in India may have been the largest ever)_ **Q: Which living snakes is Titanoboa related to?** A: It was a boid snake. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Found in a coal mine) · Head et al. (2009), Giant boid snake from the Palaeocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures, Nature)_ **Q: Which 2024 fossil snake may rival it?** A: Vasuki indicus, from India. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (A new rival) · Datta & Bajpai (2024), Largest known madtsoiid snake from warm Eocene period of India, Scientific Reports; New Scientist (2024): Fossil snake discovered in India may have been the largest ever; The Guardian (Apr 18, 2024): Fossil of 'largest snake to have ever existed' found in western India)_ **Q: What does its size suggest about the ancient tropics?** A: A mean annual temperature of about 30-34 °C. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (A climate thermometer) · Head et al. (2009), Giant boid snake from the Palaeocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures, Nature)_ ## Sources - [Head et al. (2009), Giant boid snake from the Palaeocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures, Nature](https://www.nature.com/articles/nature07671) - [Datta & Bajpai (2024), Largest known madtsoiid snake from warm Eocene period of India, Scientific Reports](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11549349/) - [New Scientist (2024): Fossil snake discovered in India may have been the largest ever](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2427606-fossil-snake-discovered-in-india-may-have-been-the-largest-ever/) - [The Guardian (Apr 18, 2024): Fossil of 'largest snake to have ever existed' found in western India](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/18/fossils-largest-snake-found-western-india) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "Snake Supreme." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-694, last updated Jan 16, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/snake-supreme/