New species of snake is found with help from Will Smith

The territory of Forest The tropical Amazon is the largest in the world with unique characteristics. For this reason, many researchers are dedicated to uncovering the rich fauna and flora of the region.

Until now, only one super snake was known, the anaconda, however, Will Smith discovered a new species of giant anaconda in his most recent work.

The new anaconda, the biggest of the biggest

The size of the Amazon Rainforest extends across a large part of northwestern Brazil, as well as in other South American countries, for example, Ecuador.

An expedition was carried out in the Ecuadorian perimeter of the forest to record a National Geographic program with the participation of Will Smith, called “Pole to Pole”.

Australian Bryan Fry makes up the National Geographic research group for the program with Smith. He is the researcher responsible for discovering the new species of anaconda that can surpass the Brazilian species in size.

That animal can be found in the region of Venezuela and Colombia, and there is a genetic difference between the species, which was clarified in the comparative article between green anacondas, published in the journal MDPI Diversity.

According to genome analysis, it was discovered that there is a difference of 5.5%, which affirms the existence of two different species, although the animals have great similarities. They are cataloged with the names:

• Northern Green Anaconda (Eunectes akayima): the largest among the discovered reptiles and can be found in Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela;

• Southern Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus): the one already known and most common in Brazil and Peru.

Green anaconda in the water among the vegetation – Image: Denis Doukhan/Reproduction

The discovery also included the participation of the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Mato Grosso (IFMT) and the State University of Santa Cruz (UESC).

You researchers justify this genetic difference due to the geographic locations in which the species are found.

Both animals share the ability to be strong and are considered one of the strongest in the world, including aquatic animals, as their habitat can include regions of water and vegetation.