World's Biggest Snake Species Discovered In Amazon Rainforest

In the centre of the Amazon rainforest, scientists have found the largest snake in the world. During a National Geographic trip, TV wildlife broadcaster Professor Freek Vonk discovered a gigantic anaconda that had never been documented before. The enormous anaconda is 440 pounds in weight, 26 feet long and has a head the size of a human. It is said that this kind of snake is the biggest and heaviest on the entire planet.

The species was discovered while actor Will Smith and crew were filming the National Geographic’s Disney+ series Pole to Pole. The Latin name for the new species is Eunectes akiyama, which translates to Northern Green Anaconda, according to researchers. In an Instagram video, Professor Vonk proudly displays his findings by swimming next to the massive anaconda without an ounce of fear. In the caption, he wrote, “The video features the largest anaconda I have ever seen; it is eight metres long, over 200 kilogrammes in weight, and has a head the size of my head. It is as thick as a car tyre. From total awe and admiration a monster.”

A post shared by Prof. dr. Freek Vonk (@freekvonk)

Interestingly, these anacondas frequently outpace their prey in speed and use their powerful physiques to suffocate and devour them whole.

It was formerly believed that there was just one species of Green Anaconda, or Giant Anaconda, in the Amazon. However, according to Vonk and his group of fourteen other scientists from nine different nations, the northern green anaconda is an entirely different species from the green anaconda.

The newly discovered species, which differs genetically from the southern green anaconda by 5.5%, split from the former roughly 10 million years ago, according to a description published in the journal Diversity. “The differences are enormous in general. Genetically, they are five and a half per cent different. We’re roughly two per cent different from chimpanzees, to put that into perspective,” said Bryan Fry, a University of Queensland biologist, and a co-author of the research, who also headed the expedition.