While assisting with Will Smith’s National Geographic travel series, “Pole to Pole,” a group of scientists identified a new anaconda species. Found in the Amazon rainforest, the scientists were amazed by the size of the snake. How much bigger could it be than the species already holding the title? Here is everything we know about this new snake species.
What brought about the discovery?
A group of scientists from the University of Queensland went on a trip to the Ecuadorian Amazon to film the National Geographic docuseries “Pole to Pole” with Will Smith.
Courtesy: On The Go Tours
However, they didn’t plan to discover anacondas initially. The group’s scientific leader, Professor Bryan Fry, and his team were invited by the Huaorani people for an expedition that resulted in a surprising discovery.
An interesting discovery
The indigenous hunters who invited the scientists wanted them to explore the region and collect samples from the anaconda population. Then, the scientists went with the hunters on a 10-day anaconda search.
Courtesy: USA Today
They paddled canoes through the river system, looking for anacondas, which the Huaorani people consider sacred. Then, they found many giant northern green anacondas hiding in the shallows, waiting for prey.
How big are they?
Anacondas are large snakes, so you already know that a giant anaconda has got to be enormous. The size of the discovered anacondas was astonishing- that’s probably why the hunters asked the scientists to come see for themselves.
Courtesy: Giant Freakin Robot
One of the discovered female anacondas was 20.6 feet (6.3 meters) long. The Huaorani hunters said they’d seen bigger ones that were over 24 feet long and weighed about 1102.3 pounds (500 kilograms). The anacondas are believed to be the largest in existence.
An entirely different species
Green anacondas are among the heaviest snakes in the world and, on average, live up to 10 years in the wild. However, the discovered snakes aren’t just green anacondas; they are northern green anacondas.
Courtesy: The Conversation
Studying these snakes showed that the northern and southern green anacondas diverged almost ten million years ago; the difference between both species is more than twice between humans and chimpanzees. Northern green anacondas tend to grow larger and have a smaller geographic range in the Amazon than their southern counterparts.
A look towards the future
To gain more knowledge about the ecosystem’s health, scientists will closely monitor the reproduction of the northern green anaconda. Future expeditions will be about collecting and analyzing water, soil, and biological examples.
Courtesy: JESUS RIVAS
These planned expeditions aim to ascertain how contaminants affect the region’s wildlife and develop strategies to reduce the effects to the barest minimum. It will help scientists know if the snakes are on the verge of extinction.
