Search Extinct Animals
Search Extinct Animals
Despite over 3000 snake species alive today, very little is known about their origins. While we know they used to have legs at some point, why several of them were incapable of adapting to their environment remains unknown to paleontologists. However, more and more information has become available thanks to scientific advances, and we know more now about these ancient snakes and how they lived…and died.
| Snake | Where Did It Live? | When Did It Become Extinct? | Reason for Extinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titanoboa cerrejonensis | La Guajira, Colombia | Paleocene (about 60 million to 58 million years ago) | Climate change and other factors, made it difficult for giant snakes like Titanoboa to survive compared to smaller snakes |
| Hoffstetter’s Worm Snake (Madatyphlops cariei) | Mauritius | Around 1994 | Introduction of exotic predators to its habitat |
| Round Island Burrowing Boa (Bolyeria multocarinata) | Mauritius | Around 1975 | Loss of habitat caused by overgrazing from European settlers’ livestock as well as indiscriminate killing off as pests |
| Gigantophis garstini | Northern Sahara, between Algeria and Egypt | Eocene (about 40 million years ago) | Inability to adapt to changing environments |
| Pterosphenus schucherti | Eastern US, Ecuador, India, and parts of Africa (Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Nigeria) | Eocene (about 40 million years ago) | Inability to adapt to a global drop in temperature |
| Kelyophis hechti | Maevarano Formation, Madagascar | Late Cretaceous (about 66 million years ago) | Inability to adapt to changing environments |
| Eophis underwoodi | Forest Marble Formation, United Kingdom | Middle Jurassic (about 174.1 to 163.5 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Psammophis odysseus | Throughout Eurasia and Africa | Late Miocene (Around 5.5 million years ago) | Unknown, though worth noting it had successfully adapted to the changing environment after the Messinian salinity crisis |
| Palaeophis colossaeus | Europe (Denmark, England, and France) and Northwest Africa (Mali and Morocco) | Eocene (about 40 million years ago) | Loss of habitat over time |
| Archaeophis proavus | Monte Bolca, Italy | Eocene (about 40 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Diablophis gilmorei | Morrison Formation, USA | Late Jurassic (about 161 to 145 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Eupodophis descouensi | Mediterranean Sea | Late Cretaceous (about 66 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Haasiophis terrasanctus | Ein Yabrud, Jerusalem | Late Cretaceous (about 66 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Lapparentophis defrennei | Northwestern Africa | Late Cretaceous (about 66 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Najash rionegrina | Candeleros Formation, Argentina | Late Cretaceous (about 66 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Nidophis insularis | Romania | Late Cretaceous (about 66 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Pachyophis woodwardi | Bileca, Herzegovina | Late Cretaceous (about 101 to 94 million years ago) | Most likely due to having a specialized diet |
| Pachyrhachis problematicus | Ein Yabrud, Jerusalem | Late Cretaceous (about 66 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Parviraptor estesi | Morrison Formation, USA | Early Cretaceous (about 150 to 140 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Laophis crotaloides | Thessaloniki, Northern Greece | Pliocene (about 4 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Pouitella pervetus | Brézé and Lussant, France | Late Cretaceous (about 66 million years ago) | Unknown |
| Wonambi naracoortensis | Australia | Late Neogene (about 2.5 million years ago) | Hunting by early man |
| Yurlunggur camfieldensis | Australia | Miocene (about 11 million years ago) | Unknown |
It is also worth mentioning that several snakes – the Ankafina Ground Snake, the Viquez tropical ground snake, the Saint Croix racer, the Brike Snake, and the Agalta Mountain forest snake – have not been seen in the wild for an extended period. This means these snakes could be potentially extinct.
While Gigantophis garstini was believed to have been the largest snake to have ever, with lengths ranging between 30 to 35 feet, it was surpassed with the discovery of Titanoboa cerrejonensis. Titanoboa was a huge serpent that is believed to have been capable of reaching up to 47 feet. Other colossal snakes that used to walk (or slither across) the earth include Palaeophis colossaeus, a sea snake reaching up to 40 feet that was capable of devouring whales, and Laophis crotaloides the largest venomous snake at 10-13 feet.