Would the anaconda become the second titan if it lived in the same temperature as the titan?

On March 22, 2012, during the busy rush hour, New York's Grand Central Station "run" into a giant python, the largest snake in history, nearly 15 meters long, weighing more than 1,100 kilograms, with a body diameter of almost 1 meter, and It was now swallowing a large crocodile.

Many people were scared to death by this snake, but don't panic, this is just a work of art, a replica that has been simulated and restored in a scientific way, and it took a team 5 months to complete.

An endless stream of tourists stopped to watch, and some people questioned the authenticity of the super python: "A python of five or six meters is already very scary, does a python of more than ten meters really exist?"

In 2009, at a Colombian coal mine, scientists unearthed a trove of fossilized vertebrae and skulls, some of which were peculiar and surprisingly large.

After a period of piecing and restoration, 28 snakes were finally restored, 8 of which were simulated and restored, showing that the length was 12-15 meters, and the weight was at least 1 ton.

Scientists named this snake Titan Python, which belongs to the family Anaconda just like the anaconda. The restoration model of the station was also established based on the existing anaconda data.

Studies have shown that the Titan python lived 60 million years ago and was a majestic overlord at that time.

Its food is also very scary. It likes to eat blunt-nosed crocodiles (half a ton, 4.57 meters long) and lungfish (3 meters long), but due to climate reasons, it became extinct as early as 580 million years ago.

Investigating the reason why it is so huge, scientists generally believe that it is caused by temperature.

Titan pythons live in the tropics of South America, where the average temperature is 32°C, which is very beneficial for warm-blooded animals. In order to maintain body temperature, ectothermic animals need to obtain energy from the ambient temperature, which is why many reptiles spend a lot of time in the sun. If the outside temperature is higher, it means they can use more energy to grow their bodies.

Its size is huge. The biggest advantage is that no other animals dare to eat it, and they tend to live longer. On the contrary, their reproduction frequency will decrease and their evolutionary speed will slow down. The most important thing is that huge animals are easily affected by the external environment. Impact.

The extinction of the titan python is also related to temperature.

Scientists speculate that the sudden change in the climate at that time caused the temperature to drop. For a time, it was difficult for the python to adapt, and the food became less, and it slowly became extinct!

As a close relative of the titan python, will the anaconda become another titan python if it lives in a high temperature environment?

Before answering this question, let's take a look at what is the largest snake in the world?

If measured by weight, the largest snake in the world is the anaconda, which is currently recorded. The largest anaconda is 8.43 meters long and weighs up to 227 kilograms;

If measured by length, the world's largest is the reticulated python. The largest Guinness record holder is a human-raised reticulated python "Medusa", which is 7.67 meters long and weighs 158.8 kilograms, but it is believed that in 1912 One reticulated python grew to 10 meters.

Humans are both afraid and obsessed with pythons.

It can be seen from the many fake photos and videos circulating on the Internet, and even for the attention of bloggers, some people even planned the "Monthly Python Osmanthus" incident (it is said to be 14.85 meters and 447 kilograms, in fact, it is only about 6.5 meters). Someone came out to refute the rumor. This is a deliberate hype by the zoo.

However, whether the boa constrictor is real or not, most boa constrictors are found in the tropics. Anacondas live in South America, while reticulated pythons are widespread in Southeast Asia.

Does this mean that the higher the temperature, the bigger the snake will be?

So if the anaconda also lives in a constant temperature environment with a high temperature, is it possible to grow to the size of a titan python?

I don't think it's possible, temperature does benefit snake growth, but it's not the only factor for three reasons:

1. Although the anaconda and the giant python are similar, they are essentially different and have genetic differences;

I have discussed the size of animals before. In principle, the bigger the size of the animal, the better and safer. But in fact, the size of the animal is limited, and it is impossible to grow unlimitedly. It has a limit. Once this limit is exceeded, it will lead to The body is unable to bear the body's gravity and internal pressure, resulting in broken bones and bursting of internal organs.

A large part of the reason why the Titan Python is so big is that there are genes that regulate the development of the body, and the largest Anaconda is only more than 8 meters, and the average body size is much smaller than 1/2 of the Titan Python. In addition to external factors, the most fundamental problem to be solved is the genetic problem.

2. Temperature is not the only factor that determines body size;

There is no uniform standard for the effect of temperature on animals:

The body size of most mammals follows Bergman's law, that is, warm-blooded animals of the same species or the same species generally live larger in cold regions than in tropical regions, and polar bears are larger than brown bears.

For ectothermic animals, the increase in temperature will indeed make the animals more active, and in principle, they will be larger. This is how the temperature hypothesis of the titan python comes from.

According to the temperature hypothesis, the ambient temperature of the Titan python at that time was 32-33 °C. Does that mean that when the ambient temperature reaches about 32 °C, the body size of the ectothermic animals will develop in the direction of the Titan python?

But this is not the case. Some scientists have questioned that Komodo dragons live in places with higher temperatures (the average temperature from April to December is around 30 °C), and its average body size is only 2-3 meters. , which is far from the giant python of more than ten meters.

Therefore, scientists believe that the reason why the Titan python is so huge is not just temperature, but also factors such as food, habitat, natural enemies, metabolism and so on.

In addition to the temperature factor, the Titan Python was born in a good era. At that time, the dinosaurs were extinct. The Titan Python had no natural enemies and was the top predator at that time.

In addition, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at that time was higher than it is now, and the temperature was also high, resulting in very lush vegetation, and all kinds of animals grew gratifying because of sufficient food, which is very sufficient for the Titan python.

With no worries about food and drink, no natural enemies, and a comfortable environment, the Titan python naturally grows huge.

3. Modern animals encounter many more problems than their ancestors;

Human influence has severely interfered with animal development.

Because of the crazy stealing of ivory, many elephants are born without ivory or develop very little ivory;

Because of catching big and keeping small, marine fish tend to grow longer and smaller;

Many animals have become extinct because of the occupation of a large number of habitats;

...

In general, if we take care of animals in a captive way, such as growing anaconda in a constant temperature environment, it is impossible for it to become the second titan python, because a single temperature is not enough .

Even if the anaconda is genetically modified and placed in the exact same environment as the titan python, it is impossible. Humans will eventually be the biggest source of stress for animals, and this cannot be changed!