World’s Largest Snake Species

   The World’s Largest Snake Species Discovered by the Scientists

The reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) may be the longest (on average) extant snake species, but the infamous anaconda is much heavier. The latter, specifically the green anaconda, therefore, consistently earns the crown of the world's largest snake species. Till 2022, it was thought that this enormous member of the boa family was a single species, i.e., Eunectes murinus (now known as the "southern green anaconda"), but a team of researchers, accompanied by a National Geographic film crew, documented a new species, i.e. Eunectes akayima (aka the "northern green anaconda"), and it's already tipping the scales. A female specimen was confirmed to be at least 21 feet (6.3 meters) long and weigh in excess of 200 kilograms (441 pounds). Following are the some of the important points:-

 A new species of the world's largest snake, a green anaconda, has been discovered in the Amazon.

While green anaconda snakes are very similar visually, there is a genetic difference of 5.5 per cent.

It was thought that there was only one species of green anaconda in the wild, but biologists say this snake belongs to a new species. 

Though South America generally connotes tropical settings, the Andean vertebrae of Ecuador's geographical spine protrude high enough to mimic a Western Canadian winter scape. Professor Bryan Fry of the University of Queensland was able to lead a team of researchers deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon. The impetus for the expedition that lasted ten days (but was almost 20 years in the making) was two-fold: investigate rumours that the largest living anacondas lurk in the Bameno region of the Baihuaeri Waorani Territory and obtain footage for National Geographic's upcoming "Pole to Pole with Will Smith'' docu-series. Because of the latter motivation, a film crew and even the actors were on hand for the ground breaking discoveries.

Researchers in the Amazon have discovered the world's largest snake species, an enormous green anaconda, in Ecuador's rainforest that split off from its closest relatives 10 million years ago though they still nearly look identical to this day. The scale of these 6.1-metre-long reptiles was shown on a video, as one of the researchers, Dutch biologist Freek Vonk, swims alongside a 200-kilogram specimen. One of the viral videos to come out of this South American snake-seeking mission was of Dutch biologist Freek Vonk swimming alongside a submerged anaconda of incredible proportions. Armed with nothing but a basic breathing apparatus, Vonk shows no hesitation in getting right up close to the behemoth reptile, thereby acting as a helpful size reference in the process. Authorities initially deemed the female northern green anaconda to be 26 feet in length, though many sources have since revised that figure to 20.8 feet (a remarkable find, all the same). It was thought that there was only one species of green anaconda in the wild, the Eunectes Murinus, but the scientific journal Diversity this month revealed that the new "northern green anaconda" belongs to a different, new species, Eunectes Akiyama.

"What we were there to do was use the anacondas as an indicator species for what kind of damage is being done by the oil spills that are plaguing the Yasuni in Ecuador because the oil extraction is absolutely out of control," University of Queensland professor of biology Bryan Fry said. Getting visual confirmation of a new species of green anaconda gave immediate validation for the intensive expedition. But the genetic analysis that followed triggered even more scientific excitement. While the newly-discovered northern green anaconda resembles its cousin to the south in both size and appearance (i.e., olive-coloured with large black spots), 10 million years of divergent evolution and a whopping 5.5% difference in genetic makeup separates the two anaconda species. For a pertinent point of reference, we are approximately 98.8% similar to chimpanzees (i.e., our closest living relatives from whom we diverged between 6.5 and 9.3 million years ago).

Like all anacondas (now five recognized species), green anacondas prefer to spend most of their time in the water, as the added buoyancy offers support and manoeuvrability. Anacondas are specially adapted for life in the water, as the position of their eyes and nostrils allows them to remain almost entirely submerged for long periods. This skill is particularly helpful when it comes time to hunt, as these apex predators use ambush tactics. Green anacondas are exceptionally patient, lying in wait until deer, capybaras, and even caimans come within striking distance, whereupon the unsuspecting prey is constricted, asphyxiated, crushed and swallowed hole.

Professor Fry, who for almost 20 years has been investigating anaconda species found in South America, said the discovery allows them to show that the two species split from each other almost 10 million years ago. "But the really amazing part was, despite this genetic difference, and despite their long period of divergence, the two animals are completely identical," he said. Although green anaconda snakes are very similar visually, there is a genetic difference of 5.5 per cent, which surprised the scientists. "Which is an incredible amount of genetic difference, particularly when you put it in the context that we're only 2 per cent different from chimpanzees," Professor Fry said. According to the Natural History Museum, the largest green anaconda ever recorded was 27.7 feet long (8.43 meters), 3.6 feet wide (1.11 meters), and weighed over 500 pounds (227 kilograms). While Professor Fry's recent findings didn't quite top that, given the small sample size combined with the legendary local anecdotes, it is reasonable to expect a new champion snake to emerge from the tantalizing Ecuadorian ecosystem. To date, only a handful of scientific teams have been granted access to the Baihuaeri Waorani Territory, so who knows what other colossal constrictors lie beneath the complex waterways and dense canopy? If rumors are to be believed, anacondas measuring 25 feet (7.5 meters) and weighing more than 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) have been spotted in this part of the Amazon.

Outside the lab, one helpful way to distinguish the two gargantuan constrictor snakes is by geographical domain. The southern green anaconda can be found in parts of Peru, Bolivia, French Guiana, and Brazil. In contrast, the northern green anaconda is now thought to lurk in Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana (the two species overlap here), and of course, Ecuador. The green anaconda's large South American distribution covers the Amazon Basin and the Orinoco Basin (i.e., the continent's third-largest watershed). Given its vital role as an apex predator, its reliance on fragile habitats, and the on going destruction of large swaths of the Amazon rainforest, researchers consider anacondas to be an indicator/keystone species, meaning their population status informs the general health of the entire ecosystem. With the exciting addition of the northern green anaconda to the catalogue of known Amazonian animals, perhaps more awareness and funds can be raised to preserve this vital river basin.

In recent decades, the swamps and marshlands of the Florida Everglades have become overwhelmed with invasive populations of Burmese pythons. As daunting of a challenge as these powerful snakes pose, there is another non-native, non-venomous constrictor that has been sighted, and even successfully captured in this region: the python-dwarfing anaconda. As one might imagine, 20-foot snakes require a large territory stocked with a well-balanced food chain. Unfortunately, experts estimate that the northern green anaconda has already lost 20-31% of its habitat due to agriculture-driven deforestation. However, habitat loss is only part of the picture; habitat degradation is rampant. Heavy metal pollution caused by mining activity and fertility-disrupting petrochemicals that leak into the waterways following oil spills, along with the usual culprits of forest fires and droughts, all put pressure on the 10-million-year-old species.

Conclusion

It is difficult to imagine how megafauna can remain undiscovered in this day and age. But this goes to show just how vast, mysterious and valuable the Amazon truly is. Yes, the Waorani people have known of the titans slithering through their territory for some time. Still, the northern green anaconda has only just been added to the annals of Western science. Thanks to a collaborative effort that spanned cultures and disciplines, the world now knows about the world's largest snake's "new" cousin. Anacondas are useful sources of information for the ecological health of the area and the potential impacts on human health of oil spills in the region. Some of the snakes they studied in parts of Ecuador were heavily polluted by oil spills, and the anacondas and arapaima fish are accumulating a large amount of the petrochemical metals. That means that if arapaima fish are accumulating these oil spill metals, that they need to be avoided by pregnant women, just like women avoid salmon and tuna and other parts of the world for fear of methyl mercury.