Emily Chan
After performing a genetic analysis on the northern green anaconda, experts found that it split from its southern counterpart around 10 million years ago and identified it as a new species.
The recent research has reframed scientific understanding of the creature and raised fresh concerns about its conservation.
Green anacondas are known as the heaviest snakes in the world, and they are also among the longest. The heaviest individual ever recorded weighed 500 pounds and measured nearly 28 feet long.
The anacondas are found in the rivers and rainforests of South America, where they move with lightning-fast speed and suffocate large prey to death before swallowing them whole.
The snakes are olive-colored with black spots, allowing them to blend in with their surroundings. They lurk in the waterways of the Amazon, patiently waiting to ambush deer, capybaras, and caimans.
They are not venomous, but the way they take down their prey is still brutal. They use their large, flexible jaws to strike and crush victims with their bodies.
Green anacondas are top predators in the food chain, so they have a vital role in ecological processes. Their very presence shapes how other species interact with one another and what traits they develop.
They are also highly sensitive to environmental changes. If their population is affected, whole ecosystems can be thrown out of balance. That’s why it’s crucial to monitor their numbers and be aware of the various species.
Previously, four different species of anaconda have been recognized. It was thought that only one species of green anaconda existed in the wild. But, a new study has proven that the northern green anaconda belongs to a separate species of its own.
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