New Giant Anaconda Species ‘Northern Green Anaconda’ Discovered While Filming Will Smith’s Wildlife Documentary in the Amazon

A new giant anaconda species, previously unknown to science, was just discovered by scientists along with indigenous people and a film crew shooting Will Smith's wildlife documentary entitled "Pole to Pole: With Will Smith" in the wilderness of the Amazon in South America. The new giant snake species called Eunectes akayima or the "northern green anaconda" was reportedly an undocumented species of giant anaconda, but was previously seen by Amazon natives.

The site of the new anaconda species was located in the Bameno region of Baihuaeri Waorani Territory of Ecuadorian Amazon. Findings of the discovery involved researchers from The University of Queensland in Australia and their study was published earlier this month, implying that the new snake species could be the "largest anaconda" on record. In the past, scientists have recorded that anacondas (in general) can grow up to 30 feet long, similar to the size of a school bus.

Prior to the discovery, it had long been known that the reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) is the world's longest snake. Now, confirmation of the existence of the northern green anaconda makes it a contender to M. reticulatus python species native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is no wonder that snakes can grow enormously since previous research shows they possess a gene that enables them to become longer.

New Anaconda Species Discovered

In a news release on February 20, The University of Queensland announced the identification of the new anaconda species during filming of National Geographic's upcoming Will Smith show. One of the research paper's authors, Professor Bryan Fry, stated that the university's team received a rare invitation from the local Amazon Waorani people to traverse the region and gather samples from an anaconda population, "rumored to be the largest in existence."

The indigenous tribe took the scientists on a 10-day expedition into the Amazon jungle to search for the mysterious snakes. The team found several anacondas waiting for their prey while their canoes were paddling down a river system. Prof. Fry also cited anecdotal reports from the locals of having seen other anacondas in the area measuring over 7.5 meters long and weighing approximately 500 kilograms.

Northern Green Anaconda

The northern green anaconda deviated from another snake species, called southern green anaconda, nearly 10 million years ago, according to Fry. The study was published in the journal MDPI Diversity on February 16, wherein scientists explored a group of aquatic snakes such as anacondas belonging to the genus Eunectes which are abundant in South America. In the paper, the authors also acknowledged that some taxonomic status of several species has been uncertain or controversial.

Despite the rich biodiversity of snakes and other animals in the Amazon rainforest, its wildlife is still threatened by both natural and anthropogenic factors. According to the organization Amazon Conservation, the Amazon is facing multiple threats such as climate change, deforestation, illegal logging, and wildfires.