Fifty-eight million years ago, the most dangerous snake to ever exist roamed the Earth. It was the apex predator of its time,terrorizing everything in sight. In one corner of the ring, we have the titanoboa.
And in the other corner of the ring, from 65 million years ago, another deadly predator lurks. The T.rex. It was at the top of its food chain, with no competitors in sight.
These two beasts both reigned supreme when they were alive. But if these predators had lived in the same time period, who might win in a battle to the death?
Round 1
Let’s learn a bit more about our fighters.
Weighing in at 1,100 kg (2,425 lb) we have the titanoboa. This is the largest snake ever at 15 m (50 ft) long. Although it doesn’t attack with a venomous bite, the T.rex better watch out for its constricting abilities. The titanoboa crushes it’s opponents with its long body, exerting over 27,000 kPa (4,000 lb/sq in) of pressure. That would be like getting crushed by three Eiffel towers.
Ouch. And next, we have our king of the dinosaurs, the T.rex. It’s significantly heavier than the titanoboa, weighing in at 14,000 kg (30,800). Its stubby arms are virtually useless in combat, but don’t count the T.rex out just yet. Its massive jaw contains serrated teeth that can slice up virtually anything. If the titanoboa gets caught in the T.rex’s bite, this fight will be over pretty quickly.
Now that we know a bit more about our opponents, who do you think will win?
Round 2 – FIGHT
We meet our opponents at the local watering hole. The T.rex is on the hunt for its next meal, and looks to be pretty hungry. There’s no other prey nearby, so it looks like the T.rex is going to drink some water. It’s pretty early for a break, don’t you think?
And on the other side of the watering hole, the titanoboa is lurking about. And now, it’s seems to have spotted the unsuspecting T.rex from afar. As the T.rex continues to drink some water and wait for its next meal, the titanoboa is now making it’s way to the other side of the battleground. It looks like it’s slithering underneath the water, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
The T.rex is now done drinking and is starting to walk away. And OH! The titanoboa strikes from behind! The titanoboa strikes from behind! The T.rex is disoriented and stunned now. And it looks like the titanoboa is using this opening to wrap itself around the body of the T.rex. The T.rex is doing its best to escape, but this extra weight the titanoboa is putting on the dinosaur is giving it no chance.
Aw man, this is just ugly to watch. The T.rex is completely outmatched at this point.The titanoboa is continuing to constrict its body. And oh, there goes the T.rex toppling over now. Yeah, this is pretty much a done deal here, folks.
The titanoboa is now issuing the finishing blow, further constricting and suffocating the T.rex to death. That’ll be a nice meal for the titanoboa, but I’m going to call it there. 1! 2! 3! ding ding ding.
And your winner is the titanoboa!
Round 3
If the T.rex had been able to strike first, the battle would’ve played outvery differently.
The snake was known for its ability to plan, and carry out sneak attacks on its prey, and that method was on full display in this match up. Research also suggests that the T.rex had weak, beady eyes, so it really had no chance of spotting the titanoboa from afar.
Which made it so easy to sneak up on. And once the titanoboa got a hold of the t-rex, it’s short arms served it no favors. Due to their size and impracticality, the T.rex wasn’t able to use it’s strength to tear off the titanoboa, allowing it to constrict the dinosaur, eventually suffocating it.
So although the T.rex was, in theory, stronger, the titanoboa’s strategy allowed it to become the ultimate victor of this battle.
