Will Smith & Scientists Find Snake Over 20 Ft

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Scientists found a new species of snake called the Northern Green Anaconda in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest while filming with Will Smith for National Geographic.

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The largest measured specimen stretched 20.7 feet, but local Waorani people report seeing even bigger ones up to 24 feet long weighing about 1,100 pounds.

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DNA tests revealed this anaconda is genetically 5.5% different from its southern relative—a bigger gap than exists between humans and chimpanzees.

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The snakes were found lurking in shallow waters of remote river systems, which scientists accessed by paddling canoes through the jungle with indigenous guides.

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Professor Bryan Fry from the University of Queensland called finding these massive snakes "the highlight of my career."

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Scientists named the new species "akayima," meaning "The Great Snake" in the Carib language, after studying anacondas across nine countries for nearly 20 years.

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The discovery comes as the Amazon faces threats from logging, farming expansion, and pollution from oil drilling that's now showing up in snake tissues.

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These anacondas tell us about the health of the entire forest," said Dr. Sarah Corey-Rivas, who helped with the genetic testing that confirmed the new species.

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