巨大的Titanoboa蛇曾统治着哥伦比亚雨林

The extinction of the dinosaurs (鸟类尽管如此）6550万年前没有在真空中发生。最后一个T. Rex死了，其他爬行动物的谱系 - 从有翼的翼龙到当今监测蜥蜴的巨大水生亲戚 - 同时踢了桶。确实，这是最伟大的质量灭绝事件有史以来。它也标志着我们当前地质时代的曙光：康复生物或“哺乳动物时代”。

But don't let the nickname fool you. Although mammals diversified like crazy in the Cenozoic, Earth wasn't done with giant reptiles yet. Scientists break the Cenozoic down into subdivisions called "epochs." And the first of these — the Paleocene — saw the rise ofTitanoboacerrejonensis，，，，a colossal snake that would make modern pythons and anacondas look like spaghetti noodles.

A Lost World

Cerrejón是哥伦比亚北部的庞大煤矿。路透社报道仅在2014年就生产了3710万吨（3,370万吨）的短吨（3,370万吨）。然而，煤炭不是那里唯一可用的宝贵商品。

与矿工一起工作，古生物学家发掘了成千上万的新生代化石in Cerrejón. Approximately 58 million years old, these fossils date back to the early Paleocene and represent exotic plants, river fish, crocodile-like predators and big oldturtleswith 5.7 foot (or 1.72-meter) shells — to name a few.

这些化石告诉我们，该地区是热带和沼泽的，就像我们今天拥有的亚马逊河三角洲一样。广阔的丛林树将围绕着古老的河流，上面挤满了水植物。在蒸的荒野中，Titanoboalurked.

伟大的蛇

来自28种巨蛇的化石已经在Cerrejón发现了。不幸的是，我们尚未找到一个完整的骨架。相反，科学界不得不做各种肋骨和椎骨，再加上一些skull material。

Yet even these finds speak volumes. By comparing the fossils to the bones of living snakes, we can get a pretty good idea of whatTitanoboa看起来像。例如，椎骨中的微妙线索表明动物是宽松的。

从地理上讲是有意义的：boids是一个通常在美洲发现的蛇家族。它们是非污染的，他们倾向于通过收缩杀死。在今天所有的bo带，Titanoboa's closest relative might be the红尾蟒蛇，中美洲和南美的居民可以长到13.2英尺（或4米）。看过的电影爱好者”发条橙“可能会认出上述爬行动物。

Titanoboa还邀请比较更大的托运green anaconda。Capable of weighing 440 pounds (200 kilograms), this South American serpent is the heaviest modern snake. And it's plenty long, too: The biggest reliably measured specimen was 27.2 feet (8.3 meters) in length.

在亚洲，无关的网状python（或“网状”）可以超过这一数字，在某些情况下，长达28英尺（8.5米）的长度长达28英尺（8.5米）。但是网状的框架更光滑。专家认为这可以与Anaconda的最大重量相抗衡。

无论如何，两个蛇都不能拿着蜡烛Titanoboa。Scientists estimate that the Paleocene predator stretched 42 to 47 feet (12.8 to 14.3 meters) in total length. Theoretically, it might've tipped the scales at 1.25 tons (1.13 metric tons). Longer than霸王龙，，，，Titanoboacerrejonensisis thebiggest snake in the world科学，生活或灭绝。

Snake Suppertime!

So here's a question: What would a snake so massive eat?

绿色的Anacondas著名吃辣木，猪大小的啮齿动物，具有半尺寸的习惯。美国鳄鱼皮的较小堂兄也在菜单上。为此，一个真人大小Titanoboasculpture that the Smithsonian created went on display as part of its Titanoboa: Monster Snake exhibit. It was unveiled in New York'sGrand Central Stationin 2012 and showed the mighty snake wolfing down a crocodylian.

The following year, adescriptionofTitanoboa出版了头部结构。从解剖学上讲，爬行动物的牙齿和下巴类似于专门从事鱼类的现代蛇的牙齿。如果Titanoboafollowed suit, it was the only boid on record with a fish-centric diet.

Like the green anaconda,Titanoboa可能在水体上度过了很多时光。在那里，它可以很容易地将其巨大的体重带到周围，并击败丛林的闷热。

Scaly Thermometers?

Titanoboa's discovery was first announced in a发表在《大自然》杂志上。主要作者是古生物学家Jason Head剑桥大学。Head（没有回应我们的置评请求）将这种动物作为古代炎热气候的证据。

Climate scientists think the world was far warmer in the early Paleocene than it is today. Reptiles may have reaped the benefits; for the most part, snakes, lizards, turtles and crocodiles无法产生身体热like human beings do. Instead, they maintain their vital functions by absorbing warmth from their environments.

Back in '09, Head describedTitanoboaas a巨型温度计。他和他的同事利用其足够的规模对自己所生活的环境做出了良好的猜测。

By their calculations, the very existence of such a huge, cold-blooded reptile indicates that Colombia must have had a mean annual temperature of 86 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit (30 to 34 degrees Celsius) when the snake reigned 58 million years ago.

但是，也许死去的藏品不是最可靠的量规。

记住泰坦

Kale Snidermanis an Earth scientist at the University of Melbourne in Australia who studies prehistoric climates and ecosystems. He notes that the Pleistocene — an epoch that ended about 10,000 years ago and included Earth'smost recent ice age— also had its share of big reptiles.

“在更新世中存在许多现已灭绝的爬行动物物种更大斯奈德曼（Sniderman）通过电子邮件说，“那些灭绝的物种都比他们的亲戚。”他补充说，在一个几乎到处都有1到3摄氏度的气候[或1.8至5.4华氏度]比今天的凉爽。“

考虑Varanus priscus，，，，a Komodo dragon relative that patrolled Australia during the last ice age. At roughly 18 feet (5.5 meters) long, it was far bigger than the lizards we have today. Speaking of saurians, the最大的壁虎几百年前，有史以来在其本地的新西兰灭亡。

Sniderman说：“按全球标准，在温暖的气候中都没有发生。”

It could be that giant reptiles don't need an oppressively hot planet to survive and thrive after all. Competition from哺乳动物可能是对他们的成功的更大检查。

任何状况之下，Titanoboais long gone. So isVaranus priscus还有那个伟大的新西兰壁虎。然而，他们的堂兄仍然留下来，用华丽的鳞片，分叉的舌头和粘合脚趾垫丰富了我们的世界。这可能是一个“哺乳动物时代”，但我们中间仍然有一些出色的爬行动物。