The researchers named it Eunectes akaima, the green anaconda. Despite just being discovered, researchers say the species is threatened
An anaconda, the world’s largest, has been discovered in the Amazon rainforest. It weighs about 200 kg, is 8 meters long and was given the name Green Anaconda but is also known as Giant Anaconda.
As the Daily Mail reports, the anaconda was spotted by Professor Freek Vonk, a wildlife documentary presenter.
Despite the fact that the head of the snake is the size of a man, the professor was not afraid to make contact with it and swim together.
Until now, only one species of Green Anaconda – also called Giant Anaconda has been identified in the Amazon. However, the Green Anaconda has also been confirmed as a separate species according to a new study, published in Diversity this month.
“Together with 14 other scientists from nine countries, we discovered that the largest snake species in the world is the green anaconda,” said the professor.
The researchers gave the new species the Latin name Eunectes akaima, meaning northern green anaconda. Despite just being discovered, researchers say the new species is already under threat.
“The Amazon region is under severe pressure from climate change and ongoing deforestation. More than a fifth of the Amazon has already disappeared, which is more than 30 times the area of the Netherlands. The survival of these iconic giant snakes is inextricably linked to the protection of their natural environment,” said Freek Vonk.
