Fossils of Titanoboa, the largest snake ever known, were unearthed in the coal mines of Cerrejón in La Guajira, Colombia. This gigantic snake, which could reach lengths of 40 feet, lived in the Paleocene epoch, about 60-58 million years ago. The find provided important evidence about the climate of the ancient tropics, which must have been significantly warmer than today to support such a large ectothermic creature.

The discovery of Titanoboa, a creature that seems more like a monster from myth than a real animal, has captured the modern imagination. This giant snake has become a symbol of the immense and often surprising scale of prehistoric life, inspiring poets and writers to contemplate the 'lost worlds' of the Paleocene. Its discovery also serves as a powerful reminder of how much the Earth has changed over deep time and how climate has shaped the evolution of life, a theme central to much contemporary ecopoetry.