How a Hot Planet Created the World's Biggest Snake

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About 59 million years ago, the largest animal lurking in the ancient forests of Colombia by far was Titanoboa - the largest snake ever known. It’s only been in the past few years that we’ve put together the many pieces of this puzzling creature, but it turns out that the greatest snake that the world ever saw was made possible by a warming planet.

And thank you to these paleoartists for allowing us to use their reptile illustrations:

Super special thanks to the following Patreon patrons for helping make Eons possible:
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[eons]

Hey folks! As some of you have pointed out, we mistakenly show a Burmese python when discussing the longest living snake, the Reticulated python. Sorry we got our big snakes mixed up. We regret the error! -Seth

[kelzbelz]

“I got mice in my attic”

I think this snake is better suited for handling a shark infestation

[biohazard]

"I got mice in my attic"
>puts titanoboa in the attic
>no longer has an attic
Problem solved

[gunkwizardry]

seth: "made possible by"
my brain having grown up on years of PBS: viewers like you, thank you :)
seth: "a warming planet."
me: okay :(

[anorangewithacapybaraunder]

I got mice in my attic

Titanoboa: *eats attic*

[ashiik]

“That’s like 7 of me, and me have a lot of questions”. Fine, take my thumbs up

[Sock]

"The greatest snake that the world ever saw, was made possible by a warming planet..."

*dramatic pause*

[jamie]

I learned two things today: global warming will make giant snakes and turtles ride giant snakes

[fabianyherrera]

Amazing short documentary! I'm the "geology student" that discovered this fossil place. Thanks PBS Eons for this video.

[juuchanIRL]

"it would be no help getting rid of the mice in my attic"
you have capybaras in your attic?

[DeePal]

Climate Change is a thing?



Titanoboa: "I'll be back!"

[Xnaut]

The one question I've had about Titanoboa for a while was how acidic was its stomach? That's an often overlooked question about constrictors that limits their body size today that surely would have been in effect back then too because of the fundamental nature of how snakes eat. Since snakes swallow their food whole and don't ingest gastoliths unlike many other reptiles their digestion relies entirely on their stomach secretions, which have to dissolve a body through mostly undamaged skin that by default is much more durable than muscle tissue. At the same time, the gut bacteria within the snakes's freshly dead lunch will now start decomposing and rotting the body from the inside so the snake's digestive juices need to reach these deep internal areas quickly and neutralize them before any dangerous food poison compounds can form. Essentially, the snake needs to digest entire animals faster than they can rot from the inside, and what kind of pH did Tiranoboa need to accomplish that?

[edboy]

"Snakes will get bigger" might be a compelling argument for getting some people to act on climate change

[PhazonX]

Global Warming: *happens*
Titanaboa: I have returned

[cambrown]

6:28 "It would be of no help getting the mice out of my attic "
#1 extinct
#2 bigger than your attic
#3 you are snack-sized

[AllCanadianReptileGirl]

Fascinating video. It's hard to comprehend how enormous these guys would have been. These creatures must have been absolutely incredible to see. I'm both sad and relieved that they're not around anymore....

[akumaking]

Weird thing:
In the Beast Wars cartoon, the episode "Dark Voyage" accidentally predicted Titanoboa.

[MildlyOCD]

Personally, I'd be interested in looking at the evolution, as far as our understanding is currently, of venom & poison.

&, Because this ties in well with it sort of, the fossil record of fungus.

Thank you, Eons, you've reawakened a long-standing love for paleontology, that I haven't had the joy of learning about in years, with your videos.

[CheapoKeebo]

Damn titanoboas keeping knocking me out at the swamp...

[thedankpoptart]

I like to just think of the things that never fossilized, we get scraps