Largest snake 'as long as a bus' BBC - February 5, 2009
The discovery of fossilized remains belonging to the world's largest snake has been reported in Nature journal. Titanoboa was 13m (42ft) long - about the length of a bus - and lived in the rainforest of north-east Colombia 58-60 million years ago. The snake was so wide it would have reached up to a person's hips, say researchers, who have estimated that it weighed more than a tonne.
Green anacondas - the world's heaviest snakes - reach a mere 250kg (550 lbs). Reticulated pythons - the world's longest snakes - can reach up to 10m (32ft).
ANCIENT AND LOST CIVILIZATIONS