While filming a National Geographic TV show with Will Smith and a film crew, a team of scientists on location in the Ecuadorian Amazon discovered a new species of giant anaconda. The newly described species, the northern green anaconda (Eunectes akayima), can grow to be over 20 feet long.
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The upcoming series, Pole to Pole with Will Smith, took scientists deep into the Bameno region of Baihuaeri Waorani Territory, where few outsiders are allowed to go. Professor Bryan Fry from The University of Queensland led the team that captured and studied several specimens of the northern green anaconda, which the Waorani people believe to be “the largest [anacondas] in existence.”
“The indigenous hunters took us into the jungle on a 10-day expedition to search for these snakes, which they consider sacred,” Fry said in a press release. “We paddled canoes down the river system and were lucky enough to find several anacondas lurking in the shallows, lying in wait for prey.”
The largest northern green anaconda the scientists found on this trip was 6.3 meters long (20.7 feet). Anecdotal reports from the locals suggest these snakes can grow to be over 7.5 meters long (over 24 feet).
Read the full press release about the new anaconda here.