Titanoboa cerrejonensis , an extinct snake from the Paleocene Epoch, lived 66 to 56 million years ago and is considered the largest snake of the Serpentes suborder. The first Titanoboa was described in 2009 after its excavation in Cerrejón, Colombia. Paleontologists have found roughly 30 individuals, with most specimens consisting of vertebrae and ribs. From these vertebrae, they estimated the average adult Titanoboa measured approximately 13 meters (42.7 feet) in length and weighed about 1,135 kg (1.25 tons). Its enormous size is closely related to the climate of the Paleocene epoch. The snake required a warm environment to grow so large. Titanoboa likely spent its time in the water, ambushing its prey.

When and where did Titanoboa live?

Titanoboa lived during the Paleocene Epoch, roughly 66 million to 56 million years ago. Titanoboa fossils, approximately 58 million to 60 million years old, have been found in Cerrejón, Colombia, west of Lake Maracaibo's mouth. This area was once a tropical swamp similar to the Mississippi River delta or the Everglades. The discovery of around 30 individual Titanoboa remains suggests that adults typically reached lengths of about 13 meters (42.7 feet).

How big was Titanoboa compared to modern snakes?

Titanoboa cerrejonensis , an extinct snake from the Paleocene Epoch, is considered the largest known snake, reaching an average adult length of roughly 13 meters (42.7 feet) and weighing about 1,135 kg (1.25 tons). By comparison, modern adult anacondas average about 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in length, with record-breaking individuals reaching about 9 meters (29.5 feet). Boa constrictors typically reach about 3 meters (10 feet) in length, though some have grown to more than 5 meters (18 feet). No living snake has ever been found with a verified length exceeding 9.6 meters (about 31.5 feet).

How did scientists discover Titanoboa fossils?

Titanoboa cerrejonensis , the largest-known snake, was discovered in 2005 following excavations at the Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia. Paleontologists identified the fossils, dating back 58 to 60 million years, from the Paleocene Epoch. The majority of the remains found belonged to adult individuals; however, some juvenile remains were also discovered. The fossils mainly consisted of vertebrae and ribs. Based on the vertebrae, scientists estimated that adult Titanoboa averaged about 13 meters (42.7 feet) in length and weighed around 1,135 kg (1.25 tons).

What did Titanoboa eat and how did it hunt?

Titanoboa was a giant snake that lived during the Paleocene Epoch 66 million to 56 million years ago . It was related to modern boas and anacondas. Based on the fossils found, the environment where Titanoboa lived was tropical and exceptionally warm, similar to the swamps of the Mississippi River delta or the Everglades. Titanoboa likely spent most of its time in the water, ambushing prey in the shallows, similar to modern anacondas. The snake coexisted with mangrovelike plants, crocodilians, turtles, and fishes.

How did Titanoboa’s environment and climate help it grow so large?

Titanoboa owes its enormous size to the climate of the Paleocene Epoch (66 million to 56 million years ago). As a poikilothermic (cold-blooded) animal, its metabolic rate was affected by the temperature of its environment. The exceptionally warm environment of the Paleocene Epoch allowed the snake to grow to such a massive size. The Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia, where Titanoboa fossils were found, was once a swamp similar to the Mississippi River delta or the Everglades. However, it was located in the tropics during an exceptionally warm period in Earth's climate.

Titanoboa

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Illustration of the extinct giant snake Titanoboa cerrejonensis, showing its massive, coiled brown body with dark markings, with a human silhouette in the background for scale comparison.

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Related Topics:: fossil; boa; Paleocene Epoch; What is the largest snake in the world?

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Titanoboa

fossil snake

Written by

Paul David Polly

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Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 23, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is Titanoboa?
Titanoboa cerrejonensis, an extinct snake from the Paleocene Epoch, lived 66 to 56 million years ago and is considered the largest snake of the Serpentes suborder.

The first Titanoboa was described in 2009 after its excavation in Cerrejón, Colombia. Paleontologists have found roughly 30 individuals, with most specimens consisting of vertebrae and ribs. From these vertebrae, they estimated the average adult Titanoboa measured approximately 13 meters (42.7 feet) in length and weighed about 1,135 kg (1.25 tons).

Its enormous size is closely related to the climate of the Paleocene epoch. The snake required a warm environment to grow so large. Titanoboa likely spent its time in the water, ambushing its prey.
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When and where did Titanoboa live?
Titanoboa lived during the Paleocene Epoch, roughly 66 million to 56 million years ago. Titanoboa fossils, approximately 58 million to 60 million years old, have been found in Cerrejón, Colombia, west of Lake Maracaibo's mouth. This area was once a tropical swamp similar to the Mississippi River delta or the Everglades. The discovery of around 30 individual Titanoboa remains suggests that adults typically reached lengths of about 13 meters (42.7 feet).
1 Britannica Source
1. Titanoboa
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How big was Titanoboa compared to modern snakes?
Titanoboa cerrejonensis, an extinct snake from the Paleocene Epoch, is considered the largest known snake, reaching an average adult length of roughly 13 meters (42.7 feet) and weighing about 1,135 kg (1.25 tons).

By comparison, modern adult anacondas average about 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in length, with record-breaking individuals reaching about 9 meters (29.5 feet). Boa constrictors typically reach about 3 meters (10 feet) in length, though some have grown to more than 5 meters (18 feet). No living snake has ever been found with a verified length exceeding 9.6 meters (about 31.5 feet).
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Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did scientists discover Titanoboa fossils?
Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest-known snake, was discovered in 2005 following excavations at the Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia. Paleontologists identified the fossils, dating back 58 to 60 million years, from the Paleocene Epoch. The majority of the remains found belonged to adult individuals; however, some juvenile remains were also discovered. The fossils mainly consisted of vertebrae and ribs. Based on the vertebrae, scientists estimated that adult Titanoboa averaged about 13 meters (42.7 feet) in length and weighed around 1,135 kg (1.25 tons).
1 Britannica Source
1. Titanoboa
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What did Titanoboa eat and how did it hunt?
Titanoboa was a giant snake that lived during the Paleocene Epoch 66 million to 56 million years ago. It was related to modern boas and anacondas.

Based on the fossils found, the environment where Titanoboa lived was tropical and exceptionally warm, similar to the swamps of the Mississippi River delta or the Everglades. Titanoboa likely spent most of its time in the water, ambushing prey in the shallows, similar to modern anacondas. The snake coexisted with mangrovelike plants, crocodilians, turtles, and fishes.
1 Britannica Source
1. Titanoboa
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Titanoboa’s environment and climate help it grow so large?
Titanoboa owes its enormous size to the climate of the Paleocene Epoch (66 million to 56 million years ago). As a poikilothermic (cold-blooded) animal, its metabolic rate was affected by the temperature of its environment. The exceptionally warm environment of the Paleocene Epoch allowed the snake to grow to such a massive size.

The Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia, where Titanoboa fossils were found, was once a swamp similar to the Mississippi River delta or the Everglades. However, it was located in the tropics during an exceptionally warm period in Earth's climate.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Titanoboa, (Titanoboa cerrejonensis), extinct snake that lived during the Paleocene Epoch (66 million to 56 million years ago), considered to be the largest known member of the suborder Serpentes. Titanoboa is known from several fossils that have been dated to 58 million to 60 million years ago. From extrapolations of body size made from excavated vertebrae (individual sections of the backbone), paleontologists have estimated that the body length of the average adult Titanoboa was roughly 13 metres (42.7 feet) and the average weight about 1,135 kg (1.25 tons). Titanoboa is related to living anacondas and boas, but it is uncertain whether it was more closely related to one or another of these modern constrictor snakes.

Titanoboa was first described in 2009, some five years after it was excavated from rocks exposed at the Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia, which lies to the west of the mouth of Lake Maracaibo. The remains of approximately 30 individuals have been recovered. The majority are adults, but some juveniles have been found. Most specimens are made up of vertebrae and ribs, which is typical of snake fossils. It is estimated that Titanoboa may have had more than 250 vertebrae. At least one nearly complete specimen with a skull has been recovered. The presence of such a large number of individuals displaying the same gigantic proportions demonstrates that 13-metre lengths were probably the norm for adults of this species. By comparison, adult anacondas average about 6.5 metres (21.3 feet) in length, whereas record-breaking anacondas are about 9 metres (about 29.5 feet) long. No living snake has ever been found with a verified length in excess of 9.6 metres (about 31.5 feet).

The snake’s enormous size is thought to be closely tied to the climate of the Paleocene. Snakes, similar to other poikilothermic (cold-blooded) animals, have metabolic rates that are influenced by the temperature of the ambient environment. To maintain normal growth, snakes must have the proper amount of warmth. A snake would need an exceptionally warm environment, such as the one that characterized the Paleocene, to grow as large as Titanoboa. The coals mined at Cerrejón are formed from deposits left by an extensive Paleocene swamp situated along the margins of an ancient shallow sea, which sat at the base of the early precursors of the Andes Mountains. This ancient environment had been similar in composition to the swamps of the Mississippi River delta or Everglades in North America; however, it was situated in the tropics at a time when Earth’s climate was exceptionally warm.

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Titanoboa probably spent much of its time in the water. The sedimentary structure of the region’s rocks and the preservation of water-loving organisms (such as mangrovelike plants, crocodilians, turtles, and fishes) as fossils in the strata indicate that the region was waterlogged. Similarly, modern anacondas spend most of their time in or near the water, where they hide amid vegetation in the shallows and ambush prey. It is extremely likely that Titanoboa had similar habits, because the animal’s large size would have made living on land awkward or impossible.

Paul David Polly

Titanoboa

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