When it comes to prehistoric predators, few match the Titanoboa, a 40-foot-long snake that weighed as much as a car. A cross between a boa constrictor and anaconda – but much bigger – the Titanoboa dominated the swamps about 60 million years ago. It even hunted the giant crocodiles of the prehistoric era. While today’s anacondas have inspired many sci-fi horror movies, they look tiny next to the Titanoboa, which weighed roughly five times more than the largest anaconda. And the Titanoboa is only one of the many giant prehistoric animals that used to roam the earth.

The coils of the Titanoboa could crush its prey with more force than the weight of the entire Brooklyn Bridge. And next time you read stories of snakes that doomed their owners, keep this in mind: the Titanoboa at rest on the ground was as tall as an adult’s waist. There’s plenty of facts about the Titanoboa you might not know, and this scary snake is sure to dominate your next nightmare.

How big was the Titanoboa? Evolutionary biologist Harry Greene declares, “It is hands-down the largest snake ever confirmed.” And the Titanoboa wasn’t the only massive creature discovered in the Colombian coal mine, Carbones del Cerrejón, a hotbed for fossils. Giant crocodiles roamed the swampy territory with the Titanoboa; turtles hunted on the riverbanks; and every living thing tried to avoid the enormous snake.

The fossilized bones stayed hidden in an active coal mine until 2009.

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