印度理工学院鲁尔基分校的研究人员在古吉拉特邦库奇地区的帕南德罗褐煤矿发现了一具古代蛇类化石，命名为Vasuki indicus1。根据27块保存完好的脊椎骨推断，该蛇体长介于10.9至15.2米之间，可能是有史以来最大的蛇类之一1。化石年代为中始新世，距今约4700万年1。
Vasuki indicus属于已灭绝的蛇科Madtsoiidae，该类群曾存活约1亿年1。研究由Debajit Datta和Sunil Bajpai领导，通过脊椎骨的测量（长度为37.5至62.7毫米，宽度为62.4至111.4毫米）分析了这条古蛇的体型和习性1。研究人员认为Vasuki indicus是一种缓慢的伏击捕食者，其巨大体型可能受益于当时温暖的热带气候——当时印度气温约为摄氏28度1。相关研究成果于2024年发表在《科学报告》期刊，并于2025年在《古生物学杂志》发表了补充研究1。
Paleontologists have identified a massive ancient snake species from India that could rank among the largest snakes to ever exist. Named Vasuki indicus, the specimen is estimated to have measured between 10.9 and 15.2 meters (36 to 50 feet) in length.1 The fossilized remains, comprising 27 well-preserved vertebrae, were recovered from the Panandhro lignite mine in the Kutch region of Gujarat, India, and date back approximately 47 million years to the Middle Eocene epoch.1
The research team, led by Debajit Datta and Sunil Bajpai of the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, analyzed individual vertebrae measuring 37.5 to 62.7 millimeters in length and 62.4 to 111.4 millimeters in width.1 The discoveries revealed that Vasuki indicus belonged to Madtsoiidae, an extinct snake family that persisted for roughly 100 million years.1 The researchers concluded the species was a slow ambush predator, with its enormous size likely enabled by the warm tropical climate of the time, when regional temperatures averaged around 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit).1
The initial findings were published in Scientific Reports in 2024, followed by supplementary research in the Journal of Paleontology in 2025.1
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