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Brazil: The world's largest snake has been found dead, weeks after being discovered in the Amazon rainforest. A previously unknown species of giant anaconda in the Amazon during filming with Will Smith for National Geographic's Disney+ series Pole to Pole.
The giant snake, named Ana Julia, was found five weeks ago in the Formoso River in Bonito, a rural area in the southern Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The 26-foot-long northern green anaconda weighed about 440 pounds – or 31 stone – and had a head the size of a human.
“With great pain in my heart I want to tell you that the mighty big green anaconda I swam with was found dead in the river this weekend,” Professor Freek Vonk said, sharing the news on Instagram.
“An iron-strong animal, a living creature, that has been swimming around the bonito for decades,” the professor continued.
“As far as we know, she was very healthy and still in the prime of her life, and she could care for many offspring in the years to come. “Since there aren’t that many giant snakes swimming around, the blow to biodiversity (and this particular species in particular) is huge,” he said.
Professor Vonk had earlier said that he had heard reports of the snake being shot, but he clarified that authorities had not yet found any evidence pointing to this.
“The cause of death is still being investigated, with all possible options being considered,” he said. Therefore, it is also possible that he died due to natural causes.”
At the time of the discovery, Professor Brian Fry of the University of Queensland said: “The size of these magnificent creatures was incredible – a female anaconda was observed which was 6.3 meters long.
“There are anecdotal reports from the Waorani people about other anacondas in the area, more than 7.5 meters long and weighing about 500 kilograms.”
The new species, reported in the journal Diversity, was distinct from the southern green anaconda, which was previously known about 10 million years ago, and was genetically different from it by 5.5 percent.