A giant anaconda got stuck after swallowing prey that was too large and was rescued from a river branch in southwestern Brazil.
Newsweek published a video showing an officer from the Environmental Military Police of Mundo Novo, a city in southwestern Brazil, using a paddle from a boat to help free the giant anaconda trapped in the tree roots along the riverbank.
According to information from the police agency, the officers discovered the nearly 5-meter-long anaconda while on patrol at the Iguatemi River. Its body was swollen in the middle, indicating it had just consumed a large animal.
A close-up of Brazilian environmental police using a paddle to rescue the anaconda from being stuck. Video: The Environmental Military Police of Mundo Novo
The non-profit nature conservation organization Rainforest Alliance stated that anacondas primarily feed on large rodents, deer, fish, birds, capybaras, turtles, dogs, sheep, aquatic reptiles like caiman, and even American jaguars. This species of snake has the characteristic that after suffocating its prey, it can open its jaws wide enough to swallow the entire prey, regardless of size.
The police reported that they had to cut through some tree roots to rescue the animal. It is still unclear which of the four anaconda species the snake in the video belongs to, but it appears to be a green anaconda.
Experts recommend that people keep their distance if they happen to encounter an anaconda.
The green anaconda, which is non-venomous, is listed as a “least concern” species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species. They inhabit forests, savannas, and swamps in Colombia and Brazil, particularly in the Amazon River basin.
According to the Rainforest Alliance, a green anaconda can reach an impressive length of over 9 meters, a diameter of 30 cm, and weigh over 250 kg.
Unlike many other animal species, female anacondas are significantly larger than their male counterparts. Green anacondas have a dark olive-brown color with large black spots along their backs and smaller yellow oval spots along their sides. Their eyes and nostrils are located on the top of their heads, allowing them to breathe and see prey even while submerged in water.
