According to this story in USA Today, scientists are talking about a 42 foot long snake fossil that was discovered in Colombia. It is estimated to have lived about 58 million years ago and weighed 1 ton. How did it get so big? Well, scientists are hypothesizing that since a snake is a reptile and can't regulate its body temperature, it needed a warm environment to grow that large. During the time that this snake lived, the earth was thought to have been very warm, with no ice at the poles, allowing these snakes to grow this big. With the polar ice caps melting away, it won't be long now before these big dudes start appearing. Annaconda anyone?
Oh, and just ignore the sentence near the end that says society wouldn't let a snake reach that size again. It just makes for a better story that way.
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