Giant Snake Species Discovered While Filming with Will Smith
Scientists exploring the Amazon Rainforest found a new subspecies of anaconda, the northern green anaconda, accidentally during filming for a National Geographic series with Will Smith. This anaconda diverged from the southern green anaconda nearly 10 million years ago and has a genetic difference of 5.5%, larger than that between humans and chimpanzees.
“Our team received a rare invitation from the Waorani people to explore the region and collect samples from a population of anacondas, rumored to be the largest in existence,” Professor Bryan Fry said.
“The indigenous hunters took us into the jungle on a 10-day expedition to search for these snakes, which they consider sacred.
“We paddled canoes down the river system and were lucky enough to find several anacondas lurking in the shallows, lying in wait for prey.
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“The size of these magnificent creatures was incredible – one female anaconda we encountered measured an astounding 6.3 meters long. There are anecdotal reports from the Waorani people of other anacondas in the area measuring more than 7.5 meters long and weighing around 500 kilograms.”
Despite their large size, the snake species is vulnerable and highly endangered due to deforestation, with Professor Fry emphasizing the urgent need for research into the threats facing these creatures and their ecosystems, particularly regarding the impact of petrochemicals from oil spills on their fertility and reproductive biology.
Giant Snake Species Discovered While Filming with Will Smith
