Anacondas stayed massive for 12 million years, study finds

• Anacondas have maintained their massive size for approximately 12 million years, according to a new study.
• Researchers analyzed 183 fossil vertebrae from ancient anacondas in Venezuela, dating back to the Miocene wetlands.
• Ancient anacondas were estimated to be around 17 feet long, a size comparable to modern anacondas (13-16 feet, some up to 23 feet).
• Despite significant climate shifts and the introduction of new predators, anacondas' size remained stable, indicating "super-resilience."
• Scientists had expected to find even larger ancient anacondas but found no evidence of snakes exceeding modern giants in length.

Why It Matters: Anacondas' enduring size for millions of years offers insights into species' resilience.