A new and giant species of snake has been discovered in the Amazon after a filming crew found the world’s biggest anaconda. Scientists are constantly making new and interesting discoveries about this planet’s animals. The snake, measuring 26ft-long with a 'human-sized' head, was found in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. The team, led by Professor Bryan Fry of the University of Queensland, made this remarkable discovery during a mission to study the impact of oil drilling on the local wildlife.
During the expedition, one of the Waorani people, indigenous to the Amazonian region of Ecuador, was bitten by the massive anaconda but was rescued with the help of others. The team determined the snake to be approximately 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) in length based on the bite marks from its fangs. Male anacondas were found to have significantly higher levels of lead and cadmium in their bodies compared to females.
The study revealed that the green anacondas from Ecuador are larger than those from Brazil, leading to the classification of two distinct species: the northern green anaconda and the southern green anaconda. These species differ in DNA by about 5.5 per cent, a significant variance comparable to the genetic difference between humans and chimpanzees.
Professor Fry described this discovery as the biggest of his career, emphasizing the importance of this finding in the field of herpetology. The team's research sheds light on the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest and highlights the need for conservation efforts to protect these unique species.
