A team of scientists with a film crew in the remote Amazon has discovered a previously undocumented species of giant anaconda. Professor Brian Fry from the University of Queensland led a team that captured and examined several specimens of the newly named northern green anaconda. (Eunectes akaima)It is located in the Bameno region of the Baihuaeri Waorani region in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

“Our team received a rare invitation from the Waorani people to explore the area and collect samples from the anaconda population, said to be the largest in existence,” Professor Fry said. said. “Local hunters took us into the forest on a 10-day expedition to find these snakes, which they considered sacred. We kayaked through the river system and were lucky enough to find a few anacondas lurking in the shallow waters, waiting for their prey. The size of these magnificent creatures was incredible; One female anaconda we encountered was an impressive 6.3 meters (20.7 feet) long. There are anecdotal reports from the Waorani people of other anacondas in the region exceeding 7.5 meters (24.6 ft) in length and weighing around 500 kilograms (1,100 lb).

Professor Fry said the northern green anaconda diverged from the southern green anaconda almost 10 million years ago and they were 5.5 per cent genetically different.

“That’s pretty significant; to put it in perspective, humans are only about 2 percent different from chimpanzees,” he said. “This discovery is the pinnacle of my career.”

Cooperation and conservation issues

A new species of anaconda was discovered during the filming of the upcoming Disney+ series with National Geographic. “From Pole to Pole” with Will SmithWhere National Geographic explorer Professor Fry was the scientific director of the expedition.

“Our journey into the heart of the Amazon at the invitation of Waorani Chief Penti Baihua was a true cross-cultural experience,” he said. “The importance of our Waorani people is recognized by the co-authorship of the article.”

Scientists also studied the genetics of the green anaconda with the world’s leading anaconda expert, Dr. They decided to compare it with samples collected elsewhere by Jesus Rivas and use them as an indicator species of ecosystem health. Professor Fry said the Amazon continues to face worrying environmental threats.

“Deforestation in the Amazon basin due to agricultural expansion has caused habitat loss of 20-31 percent, which could affect 40 percent of forests by 2050,” he said. “Another growing problem is habitat degradation resulting from land fragmentation caused by industrialized agriculture and heavy metal pollution from oil spills. Wildfires, drought and climate change are also among the significant threats. These rare anacondas and other species living in this remote ecosystem face serious challenges.” is across.”

Professor Fry said his next research project will focus on heavy metal pollution in the Amazon.

“The ecological threat is faced not only by these giant snakes, but by almost every living thing in the region,” he said. “The discovery of a new anaconda species is exciting, but it is important to underline the urgent need for more research on these endangered species and ecosystems.
“Research into how petrochemicals from oil spills affects the fertility and reproductive biology of these rare snakes and other important species in the Amazon is particularly relevant.”