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'''''Vasuki''''' is an [[extinct]] genus of [[madtsoiid]] snake from the Middle [[Eocene]] [[Naredi Formation]] of India. The genus contains a [[Monotypic taxon|single species]], '''''V. indicus''''', known from several [[vertebra]]e. ''Vasuki'' has an estimated body length between {{cvt|10.9|-|15.2|m|ft}}, making it the largest known madtsoiid. The highest length estimates would make ''Vasuki'' the longest snake ever discovered.
'''''Vasuki''''' is an [[extinct]] genus of [[madtsoiid]] snake from the Middle [[Eocene]] [[Naredi Formation]] of India. The genus contains a [[Monotypic taxon|single species]], '''''V. indicus''''', known from several [[vertebra]]e. ''Vasuki'' has an estimated body length between {{cvt|10.9|-|15.2|m|ft}}, making it the largest known madtsoiid. The upper bounds of the length estimates would make ''Vasuki'' the longest snake ever discovered.


== Discovery and naming ==
== Discovery and naming ==
The ''Vasuki'' [[holotype]] specimen, [[IIT Roorkee|IITR]]/VPL/SB 3102-1-21, was discovered in sediments of the [[Naredi Formation]] in the Panandhro Lignite Mine in the [[Kutch district]] of [[Gujarat State]], western India. The specimen consists of 27 pre-[[cloaca]]l vertebrae, some of which were found in [[Joint|articulation]].<ref name="Vasuki">{{Cite journal |last1=Datta |first1=Debajit |last2=Bajpai |first2=Sunil |date=18 April 2024 |title=Largest known madtsoiid snake from warm Eocene period of India suggests intercontinental Gondwana dispersal |journal=[[Scientific Reports]] |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=8054 |doi=10.1038/s41598-024-58377-0 |pmid=38637509 |issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free }}</ref> The fossil material was found some time after 2004, and preliminary analyses suggested [[crocodilia]]n affinities for the fossil material without further review.<ref name=Press1>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Riis |date=18 April 2024 |title=This Nearly 50-Foot Snake Was One of the Largest to Slither the Earth |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-nearly-50-foot-snake-was-one-of-the-largest-to-slither-the-earth/ |access-date=19 April 2024 |website=[[Scientific American]] |language=en}}</ref>
The ''Vasuki'' [[holotype]] specimen, [[IIT Roorkee|IITR]]/VPL/SB 3102-1-21, was discovered in the sedimentary layers of the [[Naredi Formation]] in the [[Panadhro]] Lignite Mine in the [[Kutch district]] of [[Gujarat State]], western India. The specimen consists of 27 pre-[[cloaca]]l vertebrae, some of which were found in [[Joint|articulation]].<ref name="Vasuki">{{Cite journal |last1=Datta |first1=Debajit |last2=Bajpai |first2=Sunil |date=18 April 2024 |title=Largest known madtsoiid snake from warm Eocene period of India suggests intercontinental Gondwana dispersal |journal=[[Scientific Reports]] |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=8054 |doi=10.1038/s41598-024-58377-0 |pmid=38637509 |issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free }}</ref> The fossil material was found some time after 2004, and preliminary analyses suggested [[crocodilia]]n affinities for the fossil material without further review.<ref name=Press1>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Riis |date=18 April 2024 |title=This Nearly 50-Foot Snake Was One of the Largest to Slither the Earth |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-nearly-50-foot-snake-was-one-of-the-largest-to-slither-the-earth/ |access-date=19 April 2024 |website=[[Scientific American]] |language=en}}</ref>


In 2024, ''Vasuki indicus'' was [[Species description|described]] as a new genus and species of madtsoiid snake based on these fossil remains. The [[Genus|generic name]], ''Vasuki'', references the [[Vasuki|divine serpent of the same name]] from [[Hindu mythology]]. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''indicus'', references India, the country from which ''Vasuki'' is known.<ref name="Vasuki"/>
In 2024, ''Vasuki indicus'' was [[Species description|described]] as a new genus and species of madtsoiid snake based on these fossil remains. The [[Genus|generic name]], ''Vasuki'', references the [[Vasuki|divine serpent of the same name]] from [[Hindu mythology]]. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''indicus'', references India, the country where the ''Vasuki'' fossils were found.<ref name="Vasuki"/>


== Description ==
== Description ==
The body length estimations of ''Vasuki'' are derived from predictive regression equations:<ref name="Vasuki"/> one based on postzygapophyseal width,<ref name=H09>{{cite journal |last1=Head |first1=J.J. |last2=Bloch |first2=J.I. |last3=Hastings |first3=A.K. |last4=Bourque |first4=J.R. |last5=Cadena |first5=E.A. |author5-link=Edwin Cadena |last6=Herrera |first6=F.A. |last7=Polly |first7=P.D. |last8=Jaramillo |first8=C.A. |author8-link=Carlos Jaramillo (geologist) |year=2009 |title=Giant boid snake from the Paleocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23980887 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=457 |issue=7230 |pages=715–717 |bibcode=2009Natur.457..715H |doi=10.1038/nature07671 |pmid=19194448 |s2cid=4381423}}</ref> and the other based on prezygapophyseal width.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=McCartney |first1=Jacob |last2=Roberts |first2=Eric |last3=Tapanila |first3=Leif |last4=O'Leary |first4=Maureen |date=2018 |title=Large palaeophiid and nigerophiid snakes from Paleogene Trans-Saharan Seaway deposits of Mali |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |language=en |volume=63 |doi=10.4202/app.00442.2017 |s2cid=59147071 |issn=0567-7920|doi-access=free }}</ref> The former equation resulted in a body length range of {{convert|10.9|-|12.2|m|ft|abbr=off}}, while the latter equation resulted in a body length range of {{convert|14.5|-|15.2|m|ft|abbr=off}}. Although the vertebral dimensions of ''Vasuki'' are smaller than those of ''[[Titanoboa]]'', the largest length estimates indicate a longer body than that taxon.<ref name="Vasuki"/>
The body length estimations of ''Vasuki'' are derived from predictive [[Regression analysis|regression]] equations:<ref name="Vasuki"/> one based on post [[zygapophyseal]] width,<ref name="H09">{{cite journal |last1=Head |first1=J.J. |last2=Bloch |first2=J.I. |last3=Hastings |first3=A.K. |last4=Bourque |first4=J.R. |last5=Cadena |first5=E.A. |last6=Herrera |first6=F.A. |last7=Polly |first7=P.D. |last8=Jaramillo |first8=C.A. |year=2009 |title=Giant boid snake from the Paleocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23980887 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=457 |issue=7230 |pages=715–717 |bibcode=2009Natur.457..715H |doi=10.1038/nature07671 |pmid=19194448 |s2cid=4381423}}</ref> and the other based on pre zygapophyseal width.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=McCartney |first1=Jacob |last2=Roberts |first2=Eric |last3=Tapanila |first3=Leif |last4=O'Leary |first4=Maureen |date=2018 |title=Large palaeophiid and nigerophiid snakes from Paleogene Trans-Saharan Seaway deposits of Mali |journal=[[Acta Palaeontologica Polonica]] |language=en |volume=63 |doi=10.4202/app.00442.2017 |issn=0567-7920 |s2cid=59147071 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The former equation resulted in a body length range of {{convert|10.9|-|12.2|m|ft|abbr=off}}, while the latter equation resulted in a body length range of {{convert|14.5|-|15.2|m|ft|abbr=off}}. Although the vertebral dimensions of ''Vasuki'' are smaller than those of ''[[Titanoboa]]'', the largest length estimates indicate a longer body than that taxon, which was {{Convert|13|m|ft}} long.<ref name="Vasuki"/>


== Classification ==
== Classification ==
In a [[phylogenetic analyses]], ''Vasuki'' is recovered as a member of the extinct snake clade [[Madtsoiidae]] as the [[sister taxon]] to the clade formed by ''[[Madtsoia pisdurensis]]'' ([[Late Cretaceous]] India) and ''[[Gigantophis garstini]]'' ([[Late Eocene]] North Africa). It is a member of a lineage of medium–large bodied madtsoiids, which is in turn sister to a clade of smaller madtsoiids. The results are displayed in the [[cladogram]] below:<ref name="Vasuki"/>
In a [[phylogenetic analyses]], ''Vasuki'' is recovered as a member of the extinct snake clade [[Madtsoiidae]] as the [[sister taxon]] to the clade formed by ''[[Madtsoia pisdurensis]]'' ([[Late Cretaceous]] India) and ''[[Gigantophis garstini]]'' ([[Late Eocene]] North Africa). It is a member of a lineage of medium–large bodied madtsoiids, which is in turn the sister taxon to a clade of smaller madtsoiids. The results are displayed in the [[cladogram]] below:<ref name="Vasuki"/>


{{clade
{{clade
Line 66: Line 66:


== Paleoenvironment ==
== Paleoenvironment ==
Unlike other large-bodied snakes like ''[[Titanoboa]]'',<ref name=H09/> ''Vasuki'' was probably not an aquatic animal. Its vertebral morphology instead suggests a terrestrial (or possibly semi-aquatic) lifestyle when compared to related madtsoiids and modern [[pythonoid]]s. The ''Vasuki'' fossils were [[Depositional environment|deposited]] in a [[backswamp]] [[marsh]]. Large extant [[pythonid]]s are found in similar habitats.<ref name="Vasuki"/>
Unlike other large-bodied snakes like ''[[Titanoboa]]'',<ref name=H09/> ''Vasuki'' was probably not an aquatic animal. Its vertebral [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]] instead suggests a terrestrial (or possibly semi-aquatic) lifestyle when compared to related madtsoiids and modern [[pythonoid]]s. The ''Vasuki'' fossils were [[Depositional environment|deposited]] in a [[backswamp]] [[marsh]]. Large extant [[pythonid]]s are found in similar habitats.<ref name="Vasuki"/>


''Vasuki'' is known from the Naredi Formation, which dates to the Middle Eocene.<ref name="Vasuki"/> Fossils of [[catfish]], [[turtle]]s, [[crocodilia]]ns, and early [[cetacea]]ns are also known from this formation, any of which may have been the prey of ''Vasuki''.<ref name="Press2">{{Cite web |last=Larson |first=Christina |date=18 April 2024 |title=This ancient snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton |url=https://apnews.com/article/ancient-giant-snake-india-8ca7b6b971b0a1b6c79ce50819d337c6 |access-date=19 April 2024 |website=[[AP News]] |language=en}}</ref> At this time, [[Insular India|India was largely isolated from Asia]].
''Vasuki'' is known from the Naredi Formation, which dates to the Middle Eocene.<ref name="Vasuki"/> Fossils of [[catfish]], [[turtle]]s, [[crocodilia]]ns, and early [[cetacea]]ns are also known from this formation, any of which may have been the prey of ''Vasuki''.<ref name="Press2">{{Cite web |last=Larson |first=Christina |date=18 April 2024 |title=This ancient snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton |url=https://apnews.com/article/ancient-giant-snake-india-8ca7b6b971b0a1b6c79ce50819d337c6 |access-date=19 April 2024 |website=[[AP News]] |language=en}}</ref> At this time, [[Insular India|India was largely isolated from Asia]].

Revision as of 07:46, 27 April 2024

Vasuki
Temporal range: Middle Eocene (Lutetian), ~47 Ma
↓
Select holotype vertebrae of Vasuki
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: †Madtsoiidae
Genus: †Vasuki
Species:
†V. indicus
Binomial name
†Vasuki indicus
Datta & Bajpai, 2024

Vasuki is an extinct genus of madtsoiid snake from the Middle Eocene Naredi Formation of India. The genus contains a single species, V. indicus, known from several vertebrae. Vasuki has an estimated body length between 10.9–15.2 m (36–50 ft), making it the largest known madtsoiid. The upper bounds of the length estimates would make Vasuki the longest snake ever discovered.

Discovery and naming

The Vasuki holotype specimen, IITR/VPL/SB 3102-1-21, was discovered in the sedimentary layers of the Naredi Formation in the Panadhro Lignite Mine in the Kutch district of Gujarat State, western India. The specimen consists of 27 pre-cloacal vertebrae, some of which were found in articulation.[1] The fossil material was found some time after 2004, and preliminary analyses suggested crocodilian affinities for the fossil material without further review.[2]

In 2024, Vasuki indicus was described as a new genus and species of madtsoiid snake based on these fossil remains. The generic name, Vasuki, references the divine serpent of the same name from Hindu mythology. The specific name, indicus, references India, the country where the Vasuki fossils were found.[1]

Description

The body length estimations of Vasuki are derived from predictive regression equations:[1] one based on post zygapophyseal width,[3] and the other based on pre zygapophyseal width.[4] The former equation resulted in a body length range of 10.9–12.2 metres (36–40 feet), while the latter equation resulted in a body length range of 14.5–15.2 metres (48–50 feet). Although the vertebral dimensions of Vasuki are smaller than those of Titanoboa, the largest length estimates indicate a longer body than that taxon, which was 13 metres (43 ft) long.[1]

Classification

In a phylogenetic analyses, Vasuki is recovered as a member of the extinct snake clade Madtsoiidae as the sister taxon to the clade formed by Madtsoia pisdurensis (Late Cretaceous India) and Gigantophis garstini (Late Eocene North Africa). It is a member of a lineage of medium–large bodied madtsoiids, which is in turn the sister taxon to a clade of smaller madtsoiids. The results are displayed in the cladogram below:[1]

Madtsoiidae

Paleoenvironment

Unlike other large-bodied snakes like Titanoboa,[3] Vasuki was probably not an aquatic animal. Its vertebral morphology instead suggests a terrestrial (or possibly semi-aquatic) lifestyle when compared to related madtsoiids and modern pythonoids. The Vasuki fossils were deposited in a backswamp marsh. Large extant pythonids are found in similar habitats.[1]

Vasuki is known from the Naredi Formation, which dates to the Middle Eocene.[1] Fossils of catfish, turtles, crocodilians, and early cetaceans are also known from this formation, any of which may have been the prey of Vasuki.[5] At this time, India was largely isolated from Asia.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Datta, Debajit; Bajpai, Sunil (18 April 2024). "Largest known madtsoiid snake from warm Eocene period of India suggests intercontinental Gondwana dispersal". Scientific Reports. 14 (1): 8054. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-58377-0. ISSN 2045-2322. PMID 38637509.
  2. ^ Williams, Riis (18 April 2024). "This Nearly 50-Foot Snake Was One of the Largest to Slither the Earth". Scientific American. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b Head, J.J.; Bloch, J.I.; Hastings, A.K.; Bourque, J.R.; Cadena, E.A.; Herrera, F.A.; Polly, P.D.; Jaramillo, C.A. (2009). "Giant boid snake from the Paleocene neotropics reveals hotter past equatorial temperatures". Nature. 457 (7230): 715–717. Bibcode:2009Natur.457..715H. doi:10.1038/nature07671. PMID 19194448. S2CID 4381423.
  4. ^ McCartney, Jacob; Roberts, Eric; Tapanila, Leif; O'Leary, Maureen (2018). "Large palaeophiid and nigerophiid snakes from Paleogene Trans-Saharan Seaway deposits of Mali". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 63. doi:10.4202/app.00442.2017. ISSN 0567-7920. S2CID 59147071.
  5. ^ Larson, Christina (18 April 2024). "This ancient snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton". AP News. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
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