Australia's Vanished Beasts
Giant Australian Python
Wonambi naracoortensis
The longest surviving snake in
Australia today is the carpet python, which grows to not much longer than 10
feet in length. The extinct giant Australian python, by contrast, was thought
to reach over 16 feet long. It is similar to other extinct giant boids from
Patagonia, Madagascar, and northern Africa, suggesting they all shared a common
ancestor when the southern continents were attached to one another in the
ancient supercontinent Gondwana. Much remains unknown about W.
naracoortensis, however. Did it lay eggs or
give birth to live young? How widely was it distributed? How long did it live
on Earth? Future fossil discoveries may tell.