The largest snake in the world is an anaconda discovered in the Amazon rainforest. It weighs about 200 kg, is about 8 meters long and was given the name Green Anaconda but is also known as Giant Anaconda.

This particular anaconda was spotted by wildlife TV presenter Professor Freek Vonk and is as thick as a car tyre.

Despite the fact that it had a head the size of a human, it seems that this was no obstacle for the 40-year-old Professor Vonk who did not hesitate to approach it.

Footage shows the Dutch biologist swimming alongside the huge anaconda.

Until now, only one species of Green Anaconda – also called Giant Anaconda has been identified in the Amazon. However, the Green Anaconda has also been confirmed as a separate species according to a new study, published in Diversity this month.

“Together with 14 other scientists from nine countries, we discovered that the largest snake species in the world is the green anaconda,” said Professor Vonk.

As we all know from movies and stories about giant snakes – they are actually two different species. Green anacondas found in South America – including Venezuela, Suriname and French Guiana – appear to belong to an entirely different species. Although they look almost identical at first glance, the genetic difference between the two is 5.5% and that is huge,” added the professor.

The researchers gave the new species the Latin name Eunectes akaima, meaning northern green anaconda. Despite just being discovered, researchers say the new species is already under threat.

Professor Vonk explained: “The Amazon region is under severe pressure from climate change and ongoing deforestation. More than a fifth of the Amazon has already disappeared, which is more than 30 times the area of ​​the Netherlands. The survival of these iconic giant snakes is inextricably linked to the protection of their natural environment.”