Giant Python Fossil Unearthed in Taiwan

0:00Stay informed in two minutes or less with Durham News Today from the Daily News Now. Scientists just uncovered evidence of a massive python that roamed Taiwan up to 800,000 years ago. A single fossil vertebra, found near Tainan, reveals the snake stretched about 13 feet long, making it the largest snake fossil from the island. No pythons live there today, highlighting a big shift in the local wildlife. Researchers from National Taiwan University analyzed the bone from the chiting formation, dated between 800,000 and 400,000 years ago in the Pleistocene epic. By comparing its shape to other fossils, they confirmed it belonged to a python and ruled out other snake types. This fine paints a picture of Taiwan's ancient ecosystem, packed with giant predators, including a 23 foot crocodile and a saber-toothed cat. Durham Taiwan has over 50 snake species, but nothing that big, and no crocs at all, leaving top predator spots empty since the Pleistocene, extinctions.

1:01Lower sea levels back then, created land bridges from mainland Asia, letting these beasts migrate over. Once waters rose, isolation likely wiped out the populations, explaining why they're gone now. The vertebra was donated by a local collector, and the research appeared in historical biology this January. Four digs in the area could reveal if pythons stuck around long term, or were just visitors. Support for this DNA and episode comes from our sponsor. What is cooler than cool, a pillow that plays your sound, S-O-L-I-S-O-L-P-L-O-D-A-I.