Titanoboa – reptile king of the prehistoric rainforest

Sixty million years ago in the steamy prehistoric forests of what is now Colombia, there slithered a 50-foot, 2,500-pound reptile. Its bones were found in an open coal pit in 2006. Carlos Jaramillo thought at first he and his team had found fossils from an ancient crocodile. But no. It was a snake. Jaramillo and his co-researchers published their findings in the journal Nature in February 2009 and named the reptile Titanoboa. The paleontologist earned a master’s degree in geology and geophysics from S&T in 1995.

Share This Story

Spark a Memory?

Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).

From Miners to olympians

From Miners to olympians

Two alumni have worked their way into the Olympics through hard work and determination. Tyrone Smith and Shawn Wallace both…

Erin Hayden and Matthew Garger

Erin Hayden and Matthew Garger

Although Erin Hayden and Matthew Garger were both students at S&T for an overlapping year, they didn’t meet until the…

Remmers series: the talk of the town

Remmers series: the talk of the town

A professor once called Walter Remmers, MetE’23, MS MetE’24, “the laziest man in school.” And Remmers owned up to it….

Football, a history

Football, a history

The first game in Miner football history was played on Nov. 20, 1893, and the first Miner touchdown wasn’t scored…

Tom Benton’s ‘Missouri,’ from mural to movie

Tom Benton’s ‘Missouri,’ from mural to movie

It was “over a few root beer floats” one night that James Bogan and Frank Fillo decided to make a…

Ruth (Farrar) and Richard Kinsey

Ruth (Farrar) and Richard Kinsey

Ruth (Farrar) met Richard Kinsey on the steps of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta in 2011. Ruth grew up in…