The scientific community is stunned by the recent discovery of the fossilized remains of the largest snake ever found on the surface of our planet. The snake which remains were found reportedly had about 42 feet (13meters) and weighed over a ton.

Today, the world’s heaviest snake is the anaconda, which reaches about 550lbs (250 kg), while the longest snakes in the world are the reticulated pythons, which can stretch up to 32 ft (10m).

The scientists studied the fossilized remains of the snake to establish the animal size. The findings of the scientists were published in today’s issue of the journal Nature. The giant snake, called Titanoboa cerrejonensis by the research team, was living in the rainforest of north-east Colombia 58-60 million years ago.

The team of scientists used a mathematical relationship between a fossilized vertebra of the Titanboa cerrejonensis and one of today’s snakes to find out the approximate size of the behemoth snake.

"At its greatest width, the snake would have come up to about your hips. The size is pretty amazing," said P David Polly, from Indiana University in Bloomington, US, and one of the authors of this study.

The Titanboa cerrejonensis was living in water a lot and it would have needed a lot of food to survive. Its pray probably included alligators, big fish and crocodiles. Researchers said a snake of this size would be capable of easily swallowing even a cow.

"This thing weighs more than a bison and is longer than a city bus," enthused snake expert Jack Conrad of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.