On February 20, the Daily Mail (UK) published a video capturing the moment a scientist swam alongside a giant python weighing 200 kg and measuring nearly 8 meters in length in the Amazon rainforest. This creature belongs to the newly discovered species known as the Northern Green Anaconda.
Dutch professor Freek Vonk approaches the python closely. (Photo: Daily Mail)
Television host and Dutch professor Freek Vonk discovered this massive python, comparable in size to a car tire, belonging to the Northern Green Anaconda. Professor Vonk (40 years old) showed little fear as he got close to this colossal snake.
Close-up video of Professor Vonk swimming near the giant python.
Professor Vonk stated: “Together with 14 other scientists from 9 countries, we discovered that the largest snake species in the world is the Green Anaconda.” He further analyzed that there are two different types of Green Anacondas. The first is the Southern Green Anaconda, found in Peru, Bolivia, French Guiana, and Brazil. The second is the Northern Green Anaconda, found in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.
They look identical, but these two species of Green Anaconda have a genetic difference of 5.5%. For comparison, humans and chimpanzees have only about a 2% genetic difference.
Scientists have named the newly discovered species the Northern Green Anaconda. Although this giant python has just been discovered, researchers warn that they are under significant threat.
Professor Vonk explained: “The Amazon region is under severe pressure from climate change and deforestation. More than one-fifth of the Amazon has disappeared. The survival of these giant snakes is closely linked to the protection of their natural habitat.”
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