Titanoboa Size: Just How Big Was the Titanoboa?

There isn’t another snake alive today that compares to a Titanoboa size- and thank goodness for that! Existing during the Paleocene epoch, this snake was unmatched in terms of its size and weight. But just how big was the Titanoboa, and how does its size compare to the size of some of the snakes living today?

In this article, we will address the length and weight of the average Titanoboa. We will also compare this ancient monster with other large snakes that currently exist. Finally, we will compare the Titanoboa size with the size of an average human, so you can truly understand just how large this snake was. Let’s get started!

How Big Was the Titanoboa?

The Titanoboa was extremely large- many scientists estimate that this snake reached lengths of 40-50 feet and weighed over 2500 pounds! Fossils of the Titanoboa were first discovered in northern Columbia, in the first-ever tropical rainforest in South America. This makes the Titanoboa unique in many different ways, not just its extremely large size!

After analyzing fossil records and skull shapes, many scientists agree that the Titanoboa was primarily a piscivorous being. This means that it consumed fish as the main portion of its diet. Given the wet and almost coastal rainforest in which the Titanoboa lived, this dietary shift compared to modern snakes makes sense.

Let’s take a look at how the gigantic Titanoboa size compares to the size of humans. We should also take a look at other large snake species.

Human vs Titanoboa Size Comparison

Given that the average human ranges anywhere from 5-6 feet tall and weighs 150-200 pounds, the Titanoboa was roughly 8 times larger than the size of the average person. That’s an extreme size difference. Honestly, it’s probably a good thing that the Titanoboa preferred to eat fish rather than human beings!

Another Titanoboa size comparison you can make is with an average full-size school bus. These buses that you see on your local roads are the same size, if not shorter than the possible length of a Titanoboa. Imagine a snake that’s longer than a school bus. That’s definitely not something you want to see on your morning commute!

Anaconda vs Titanoboa Size Comparison

Given that the Titanoboa was one of the largest snakes to ever exist, how does a Titanoboa size compare to the size of the average anaconda? Both the Titanoboa and the anaconda are from the same family, known as the Boidae family. Many snakes under this family grow quite large- but none can compare to the size of the Titanoboa.

The average anaconda reaches 15 feet in length and weighs more than 500 pounds. However, this is only a fraction of the average Titanoboa size. An anaconda would stretch from the tip of a Titanoboa’s head to barely a fourth of the way down its body. Obviously, the weight differences are drastic as well.

Given that anacondas are found in extremely similar environments to the Titanoboa, their diets are similar. Both anacondas and Titanoboa eat aquatic creatures such as fish and turtles. However, the average fish size nowadays differs greatly from fish in the Paleocene epoch! These ancient fish were far larger than their modern counterparts, especially when you consider that they were the main source of food for a snake the size of a school bus.

Reticulated Python vs Titanboa Size Comparison

Reticulated pythons are members of the Pythonidae family, but this does not mean they are small snakes. The opposite is true in fact, which makes them ideal comparisons for the size of the ancient and powerful Titanoboa.

The average reticulated python reaches anywhere from 5-20 feet on average, and can weigh over 150 pounds, if not far more. While the reticulated python doesn’t come close to the size of the Titanoboa, there are some similarities between them.

For example, both the Titanoboa and the reticulated python live in rainforests and wet habitats. There have been reports of reticulated pythons swimming great distances and inhabiting islands all on their own without human interference, something that a Titanoboa would likely do as well if it were alive today.

Both of these snakes also enjoy eating fish, given their aquatic habitats. However, the Titanoboa still outgrows the reticulated python by a large margin, despite being classified as the world’s longest snake. The largest python still only reaches about half the length of the average Titanoboa size, and there is a huge weight difference between them!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Michael Rosskothen/Shutterstock.com