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Roughly 60 million years ago,
the largest snake to ever exist
roamed the Earth.
This is the titanoboa.
This giant snake
hunted reptiles,
birds, and even crocodiles.
So what would happen
if this creature roamed the Earth today?
Discovered in Colombia,
its official name is
Titanoboa cerrejonensis.
With a length of 15 m (49 ft)
and weighing just over 1,000 kg (2,200 lb),
it would be almost three times the size
of the a giant anaconda.
If you're a person of average height,
its 1 m (3 ft) girth would be as high
as your waist.
Fortunately, or maybe, unfortunately,
you'd be most likely to find a titanoboa
when you're both hunting for fish,
or swimming.
It's a matter of physics.
Moving around in the water is much easier
for creatures like huge whales, and this snake,
rather than being on land.
And although living in trees has never
been an option for this great snake,
it could trek inland on occasion.
Scientists are speculating that it belongs
to the snake family called boids.
They're nonvenomous snakes,
which sounds pretty safe.
But titanoboas might use teeth to grab
ahold of their prey.
And it's been said that the teeth can bend,
like curved hooks sticking into you.
The more the prey struggles,
the more it gets hooked.
Then they squeeze their prey.
After a few minutes, ischemia happens.
Blood flow to the heart
or the brain is restricted,
causing a shortage of oxygen
and, eventually, death.
Fossils show that a titanoboa's lower jaw
extends past the back of the skull,
giving it a greater range of movement
when opening its mouth.
It could swallow you in one piece.
Titanoboa probably fed on giant turtles
and primitive crocodiles,
which were about 6 m (20 ft) in length.
A snake this size would probably have to eat
about 40 kg (88 lb) of food every day.
That's twice as much as an anaconda.
These snakes are killers that can move
easily in water.
Humans might be an ideal snack.
Places such as Australia seem to co-exist
with dangerous snakes,
but the sheer massiveness of a titanoboa
would dwarf anything we're used to.
Titanoboas would prefer a hot, damp,
jungle-like area, like the Amazon.
Snakes rely on heat from outside
their bodies to survive.
About 58 million years ago, titanoboas
lived in an environment about 5 ºC (41 ºF)
warmer than it is today.
Maybe we'd find these giant snakes in Asia.
Or, what about a place like Florida?
It's sweltering and humid for part of the year.
Because of its massive body,
roughly the size of a small car,
it would most likely hide in hot,
swampy areas or lakes.
This, allows it to hunt more efficiently.
Alligators lounging along golf course lakes
are common in Florida,
and the titanoboa could easily be attracted
to this food haven.
And if there are no alligators
on the menu that day,
what would be the next best option?
Yeah, golfers.
I bet you're wondering if there's any benefit
to having titanoboa around.
Well yeah, pest control.
Raccoons, deer, or anything ripping through
your garbage would no longer be an issue
with a titanoboa on the lookout.
Although the titanoboa is extinct,
we recommend that you stay clear
of giant snakes.
In 2018, an Indonesian woman
was swallowed by a giant python.
What would it be like to be eaten alive
by one of these giants?
We'll leave that story for another What If.