![]() ![]() For example, subtle clues in the vertebrae indicate that the animal was a boid. By comparing the fossils to the bones of living snakes, we can get a pretty good idea of what Titanoboa looked like. Instead, the scientific community has had to make do with an assortment of ribs and vertebrae - plus some skull material. Unfortunately, we've yet to locate a complete skeleton. Scientists break the Cenozoic down into subdivisions called "epochs." And the first of these - the Paleocene - saw the rise of Titanoboa cerrejonensis, a colossal snake that would make modern pythons and anacondas look like spaghetti noodles.įossils from 28 of these giant snakes have been recovered at Cerrejón. Although mammals diversified like crazy in the Cenozoic, Earth wasn't done with giant reptiles yet. ![]() It also marked the dawn of our current geologic era: the Cenozoic, or the "Age of Mammals."īut don't let the nickname fool you. Indeed, this was one of the greatest mass extinction events of all time. rex died, other reptilian lineages - from the winged pterosaurs to huge, aquatic relatives of today's monitor lizards - simultaneously kicked the bucket. The extinction of the dinosaurs ( birds notwithstanding) 65.5 million years ago didn't happen in a vacuum. This display was part of the Museum of Natural History's exhibition in Washington, D.C., in 2013. The Smithsonian created a full-scale, scientifically accurate replica of Titanoboa, the biggest snake to have ever roamed Earth, as part of a traveling exhibit. ![]()
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