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An ancient giant snake in India may have been longer than a school bus and weighed up to a metric ton, researchers reported Thursday.
研究人员周四报道，印度一条古巨型蛇可能比校车还长，重达一吨。
Ancient remains of the snake were found near a coal mine in the western state of Gujarat.
这条蛇的古代遗骸是在西部古吉拉特邦的一个煤矿附近发现的。
Researchers say it stretched an estimated 11 meters to 15 meters.
研究人员说，它的长度估计在11米到15米之间。
It is comparable to the largest known snake at about 13 meters.
它可以与已知的最大的蛇相媲美，长约13米。
That snake existed in what is now Colombia.
该蛇存在于现在的哥伦比亚。
The largest living snake is Asia's reticulated python at 10 meters.
活着的最大的蛇是亚洲10米长的网纹蟒蛇。
The newly discovered snake lived 47 million years ago in western India's damp evergreen forests.
新发现的这种蛇生活在4700万年前印度西部潮湿的常绿森林中。
It could have weighed up to 1,000 kilograms, researchers said in the journal Scientific Reports.
研究人员在《科学报告》杂志上说，它的重量可能高达1000公斤。
The researchers gave it the name Vasuki indicus.
研究人员将其命名为瓦苏基-印第科斯。
It is named after "the mythical snake king Vasuki, who wraps around the neck of the Hindu deity Shiva," said study co-writer Debajit Datta of the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee.
该研究的合著者、印度罗尔基理工学院的德巴吉特-达塔说，它的名字来自神话中的蛇王瓦苏基，他缠绕在印度教湿婆的脖子上。
The ancient snake was too big for quick attacks.
这条古老的蛇太大了，不能快速攻击。
"Considering its large size, Vasuki was a slow-moving ambush," Datta said.
“考虑到它的巨大体型，瓦苏基是一个移动缓慢的埋伏者，”达塔说。
In hunting for food, the snake would wrap its body around a target in a crushing hold.
在捕猎食物时，蛇会用身体紧紧抓住目标。
Parts of the snake's backbone were discovered in 2005 by study co-writer Sunil Bajpai, who is based at the same institute as Datta.
2005年，与达塔在同一研究所工作的研究合著者苏尼尔·巴杰帕伊发现了蛇的部分脊椎。
The researchers compared more than 20 fossil backbones to skeletons of living snakes to estimate size.
研究人员将20多个骨架化石与活蛇的骨架进行了比较，以估计其大小。
It is not clear exactly what Vasuki ate.
目前尚不清楚瓦苏基到底吃什么。
But other fossils found nearby suggest the snake lived in swampy areas alongside catfish, turtles, crocodiles and early whales.
但附近发现的其他化石表明，这种蛇与鲶鱼、海龟、鳄鱼和早期鲸鱼一起生活在沼泽地区。
These animals may have served as food for Vasuki.
这些动物可能是瓦苏基的食物。
The other extinct giant snake, Titanoboa, was discovered in Colombia.
另一种灭绝的巨蛇泰坦博蛇是在哥伦比亚发现的。
It is estimated to have lived around 60 million years ago.
据估计，它生活在大约6000万年前。
Both snakes lived during exceptionally warm climate periods, said Cambridge University fossil scientist, Jason Head, who was not involved in the study.
剑桥大学化石科学家杰森·海德没有参与这项研究，他表示，这两条蛇都生活在异常温暖的气候时期。
Snakes are cold-blooded animals, he noted.
他指出，蛇是冷血动物。
They would require higher temperatures to grow large.
它们需要更高的温度才能长得大。
So does that mean that global warming could bring back huge snakes?
那么这是否意味着全球变暖可能会让大蛇重新回归呢？
In theory, it is possible, Head said.
海德说，理论上这是可能的。
But it is not likely.
但这不太可能。
The climate is now warming too quickly for snakes to evolve to such large sizes, the scientist said.
这位科学家说，现在气候变暖太快，蛇无法进化到如此大的尺寸。
I'm Dan Novak.
我是丹·诺瓦克。
