These were found in association with other giant reptile fossils of turtles and crocodilians from the Cerrejón Formation, dating to the mid- late Paleocene epoch (around 60-58 mya), a period just after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. The expedition lasted until 2004, during which the fossils of Titanoboa were mistakenly labeled as those of crocodiles.
More fossils were unearthed over the course of the expedition, eventually totaling 186 fossils from 30 individuals.
In 2002, during an expedition to the coal mines of Cerrejón in La Guajira launched by the University of Florida and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, large thoracic vertebrae and ribs were unearthed by the students Jonathon Bloch and Carlos Jamarillo. Main articles: Cerrejón Formation and Cerrejón Although originally thought to be an apex predator, the discovery of skull bones revealed that it was more than likely specialized in preying on fish. Its vertebrae are very robust and wide, with a pentagonal shape in anterior view, as in other members of Boinae. Titanoboa evolved following the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs, being one of the largest reptiles to evolve after the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction event. The discovery of Titanoboa cerrejonensis supplanted the previous record holder, Gigantophis garstini, which is known from the Eocene of Egypt. Titanoboa is in the subfamily Boinae, being most closely related to other extant boines from Madagascar and the Pacific. It was originally known only from thoracic vertebrae and ribs, but later expeditions collected parts of the skull and teeth. It was named and described in 2009 as Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever found. Titanoboa was first discovered in the 2000s by students from the University of Florida and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, who recovered 186 fossils of Titanoboa from La Guajira. 'titanic boa') is an extinct genus of giant boid, the family that includes all boas and anacondas, snake that lived in what is now La Guajira in northeastern Colombia during the middle and late Paleocene. Titanoboa ( / ˌ t aɪ t ə n ə ˈ b oʊ ə/ lit.
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