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Anacondas typically stretch between 13 to 16 feet (4 to 5 meters) in length, the same size they’ve maintained for 12 million years. (Image credit: Andres Alfonso-Rojas)ShareShare by:
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Anacondas have been sizable for a great many years, according to new research.
The immense snakes’ usual physique has stayed consistent ever since their initial presence in the fossil record approximately 12.4 million years prior, during the Miocene Epoch (16 million to 11.6 million years ago), scientists found in a recent paper released Monday (Dec. 1) in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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“Other forms such as giant crocodiles and gigantic tortoises have ceased existing since the Miocene Epoch, likely on account of colder worldwide conditions and diminishing environments,” remarked study co-author Andrés Alfonso-Rojas, a vertebrate paleontologist from the University of Cambridge, within a statement. “Yet, the giant anacondas have carried on — they display exceptional hardiness.”
Anacondas comprise a class of constricting snakes that presently encompasses the heftiest snake species across the globe. Modern anacondas typically reach lengths between 13 to 16 feet (4 to 5 meters), however, the biggest among them may extend as much as 23 feet (7 m). Scientists remained uncertain whether anacondas previously attained greater sizes throughout the Miocene Epoch or whether they existed at a similar size and sustained their bulky stature down to the present.
To approximate the dimensions of ancient anacondas, Alfonso-Rojas together with his associates quantified 183 fossilized anaconda vertebrae derived from a minimum of 32 individual snakes amassed in Venezuela. They furthermore utilized a method termed ancestral state reconstruction to anticipate the physical lengths of bygone anacondas depending on traits exhibited by related snakes.
Researchers measured fossilized anaconda vertebrae in order to establish the ancient snakes’ bodily extents.
Based on these computations, the team ascertained that anacondas averaged around 17 feet (5.2 m) long upon their initial emergence during the Miocene Epoch 12 million years ago — nearly the same length as present-day anacondas.
“This represents an unexpected outcome given that we were anticipating to discover that ancient anacondas were seven or eight meters [23 to 26 feet] in length,” Alfonso-Rojas expressed within the statement. “Nonetheless, we possess no proof of a larger serpent originating from the Miocene Epoch when global conditions were warmer.”
The rationale for anacondas not having diminished over time remains uncertain.
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While balmy conditions and abundant wetlands might have facilitated anacondas in attaining their colossal dimensions from the start of their evolutionary history, chillier temperatures and decreasing habitats have not required these serpents to shrink in order to adjust. Such a thing could imply that these elements were not the principal determinants responsible for sustaining the snakes’ large proportions over the intervening millennia, as the scientists noted in the paper.
Predator-prey interactions likely did not contribute significantly to maintaining the serpents’ physique either, according to researchers. A scarcity of competition for victuals might initially have enabled the serpents to develop to substantial dimensions. Nonetheless, they failed to diminish in size upon the relocation of additional predators to South America during the Pliocene Epoch (5.3 million to 2.6 million years ago) in addition to the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago), implying that ease of access to nourishment bears little importance in the anacondas’ colossal proportions.
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Skyler WareSocial Links NavigationLive Science Contributor
Skyler Ware is an independent science journalist, writing about chemistry, biology, paleontology and geoscience. She was a 2023 AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellow at Science News. Her writing has also been featured in Science News Explores, ZME Science and Chembites, and elsewhere. Skyler possesses a Ph.D. in chemistry from Caltech.
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