Anacondas Are the Rare Prehistoric Giants That Never Shrank, Ssssstudy Reveals

During the Middle to Upper Miocene period (12.4 to 5.3 million years ago), giant animals walked—and slithered—the Earth thanks to warmer temperatures, larger wetlands, and greater amounts of food. Many of their descendants today are significantly smaller, but anacondas (Eunectes) have proven to be unexpectedly stubborn.

Researchers investigated 12.4-million-year-old fossils from Venezuela to understand how large ancient anacondas were compared to their relatives today. They found…