A giant anaconda belonging to a new species shot in the Amazon rainforest

Barely discovered and already shot down by hunters… Last month, scientists were delighted to reveal that they had discovered a new species of green anaconda – the world’s longest snake. The identified animal, reaching eight meters in length and 200 kg, was named Ana Julia. Unfortunately, his lifeless body has just been found, apparently riddled with bullets, shot by hunters in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil’s Mato Grosso do Sul state.

Shot by hunters

Biologist Freek Vonk shared the sad news on his Instagram account. “It is with great pain in my heart that I would like to inform you that the mighty anaconda who I swam with was found dead in the riverhe hinted. I have learned from various sources that she was shot and killed, although there is still no official confirmation of the cause of death. I’m so sad and so angry at the same time.”

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“How sick do you have to be to do this to such a beautiful and unique animal? As far as we know, she was very healthy and still in her prime, so she could produce many offspring in the years to come. There aren’t many of these huge giant snakes swimming around, a blow to biodiversity is huge. It was the biggest snake I had ever seen with my own eyes.”.

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Wildlife filmmaker Cristian Dimitris explained to the Dailymail that the dead snake had the same duties as Ana Julia, confirming the reptile’s death.

“I compared the markings on its face, which are like fingerprints. It must be the most famous anaconda in the world, absolutely symbolic of this region,” he hinted.

Who is the green anaconda?

Previously, four species of anaconda were historically recognized: the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), Bolivian anaconda (Eunectes beniensis), yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) and the dark-spotted anaconda (Eunectes deschauensei).

The green anaconda (or giant anaconda) lives up to its name, as it can reach 8.5 m, weigh more than 230 kg and almost a meter in circumference at belly level. This also makes it the heaviest snake in the world. Note that the females are much larger than the males.

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A very good swimmer, this large semi-aquatic reptile belongs to the order and family of scaly Boidae (boas), found in rivers and wetlands of South America. Like a constrictor, it wraps itself around its victim – often very large (such as capybaras, caimans, even jaguars). She then tightens her powerful rings to suffocate them, exerting a pressure of 2 kg per square centimeter. It then swallows its prey starting with the head.

5.5% genetic divergence

But it seems that despite its large size, the green anaconda has not revealed all its secrets. There would thus be not one, but two genetically distinct species of this huge snake.

The first species of green anaconda – a known species (Eunectes murinus) – lives in Peru, Bolivia, French Guiana and Brazil. Scientists have named it the “southern green anaconda”. The second species, newly identified, is found in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It was named the “Northern Green Anaconda” (Eunectes akaima).

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But that is not all: “We also identified a period during which the green anaconda diverged into two species: nearly 10 million years ago, Bryan G. Fry, professor of toxicology at the University of Queensland and co-author of the study featured in The Conversation. The two species look almost identical and there are no obvious geographical barriers to separate them. But their level of genetic divergence – 5.5% – is staggering. By comparison, the genetic difference between humans and great apes is about 2%.

Before closing: “Conservation strategies for green anacondas now need to be rethought to help each unique species cope with threats such as climate change, habitat degradation and pollution. The findings also show an urgent need to better understand the diversity of animal and plant species on Earth.” before it’s too late”.