What is Vasuki indicus?
A massive prehistoric snake discovered in India named Vasuki indicus may have rivaled the largest snake ever known.
- Vasuki indicus is an ancient snake species, the fossils of which were first unearthed in 2005 at the Panandhro Lignite Mine in the Kutch district of Gujarat.
- However, the species was only identified and described as a new genus in 2024.
- It is named after Vasuki, the mythical snake often depicted around the neck of the Hindu god Shiva.
- It belonged to the now-extinct Madtsoiidae family, a group of large, non-venomous constrictor snakes.
- It is thought to have existed during the Middle Eocene (47.8 to 38 million years ago), when the Earth’s temperature was good enough to permit the evolution of large, cold-blooded reptiles.
