A group of scientists have identified a giant new species of anaconda on a trip to the Amazon rainforest for the Will Smith series – and say the species of snake “could be the largest in existence”.
The scientists, a group from the University of Queensland, documented the exciting discovery while assisting with Smith’s new National Geographic travel series Half and Half with Will Smith in Ecuador. According to a statement from the Australian school, the northern green anaconda (Eunectes akaima) was documented in the Bameno region of the Baihuaeri Waorani territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and the results were published in a research paper published in MDPI diversity.
Professor Bryan Fry, scientific leader of the expedition and National Geographic researcher, shared in a post that a group of local indigenous Waorani hunters invited his team on the expedition that led to the discovery.
“Our team received a rare invitation from the Waorani people to explore the region and collect samples from the anaconda population, rumored to be the largest in existence,” Fry said. “Native hunters took us into the jungle on a ten-day expedition in search of these snakes, which they consider sacred.”
The northern green anaconda, a new species of snake identified by scientists from the University of Queensland in Ecuador.
Bryan Fry
After paddling canoes through the Amazon river system, the team spotted several giant northern green anacondas “lurking in the shallows, waiting for prey,” the professor said.
“The size of these magnificent creatures was incredible – one female anaconda we encountered measured an incredible 6.3 meters [20.6 feet] long,” he added, noting that the Waorani had previously spotted even larger snakes “more than 7.5 meters [24.6 feet] long and weighing about 500 kilograms [1102.3 pounds].”
Scientists have finally solved the mystery of how whales sing underwater, a new study says
According to National Geographic, green anacondas are non-venomous snakes that are slimy and native to South America and belong to the boa family. Reptiles are considered the heaviest snakes in the world. In the wild, they live up to 10 years on average.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The northern and southern green anacondas have long been considered part of the same species. But based on the snakes Fry’s team studied and documented on their trip to an “incredibly remote” part of the Ecuadorian Amazon, the snakes appear to be two genetically distinct species. According to Fry, the northern and southern green anacondas diverged nearly 10 million years ago and differ genetically by 5.5%.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/northern-green-anaconda-snake-3-022624-d53b3f2ebefa4b0c96a69c64915fa70b.jpg)
Northern green anaconda in the wild.
Jesus Rivas
“That’s quite significant – to put it in perspective, humans differ from chimpanzees by only about 2 percent,” the professor said in a statement.
The northern green anaconda, the species Fry’s team documented and identified, appears to reach larger sizes and have a different, smaller geographic range in the Amazon than the southern green anaconda.
Pregnant stingray could be fertilized by shark: ‘Scientific mystery’
According to Fry, the contribution of the Waorani people to the expedition was crucial to the discovery of this new species.
“Our journey into the heart of the Amazon, aided by the invitation of Waorani Chief Penti Baihu, was a truly cross-cultural endeavor,” he said. “The importance of our Waorani collaborators is recognized because they are co-authors on the work.”
National Geographic’s new series, Pole to Pole with Will Smith, is scheduled to be released on Disney+ at a later date.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education