Around 50 to 60 million years ago, the largest snake that ever lived was as long as a brachiosaurus and twice as heavy as a cow.

The extinct snake species called the Titanoboa – which rightly means the "Titanic Boa" – is the biggest snake ever discovered, and its size is the stuff of nightmares.

According to scientists, it lived just after the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago and could grow up to a gigantic 42 feet long and weigh up to 1,179 kg.

Replacing the existence of dinosaurs, the Titanoboa ruled across the Amazon in the tropics of South America and southeast Asia, where its survival was dependent on the hot temperatures.

Scientists reveal the snake, which lived during the Paleocene Epoch period, could only survive in a mean annual temperature between 30-34C.

The reason for its ability to grow up to such a huge size is the impact of warmer temperatures, which allowed cold-blooded snakes to grow larger than modern snakes today.

Fossils of the boa-like snake were discovered in 2009 in Colombia by a team of international scientists, reports Florida Museum.

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Palaeontologist Jonathan Bloch, who co-led the expedition with Carlos Jaramillo, a paleobotanist from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, said: “Truly enormous snakes really spark people’s imagination, but reality has exceeded the fantasies of Hollywood."

He added: “The snake that tried to eat Jennifer Lopez in the movie ‘Anaconda’ is not as big as the one we found.”

In fact, the reptile is so big that palaeontologist Jason Head said its body was so wide if it was chasing you "it would have to squeeze through a door" – an image that would send shivers down your spine.

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But despite its size, the Titanaboa only ate a few times a year – but when it ate, it ate well.

With a carnivorous diet, the gargantuan snake feasted on giant pre-historic crocodiles swallowed whole, as well as turtles and fish.

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