Even in Amazonian folklore, the Giant Anaconda snake is called an “ Encantado,” a shapeshifting mythical creature known for kidnapping humans they fall in love with. The Anaconda has been given a bad reputation over the years of being a “man-eater”, as a result of movies and media. It would have closely resembled the Anaconda in appearance and shared a similar habitat, so it is not unfathomable (just highly unlikely) that some of the “Giant Anaconda” sightings were actually just extraordinary extant Titan Boa sightings. This particular example measured 42-feet in length and is estimated to have weighed some 2,500 pounds. There used to be a now extinct species of enormous snake known as the “ Titan Boa”, Titanoboa cerrejonensis, whose fossilized remains were found in 2009 in Colombia. At least, its existence has never been verified. Unfortunately, (or perhaps, fortunately), this snake of mythical proportions isn’t real. The unofficial species is supposed to be able to exceed 40-60 feet in length and is reportedly rarely seen. The Giant Anaconda Legend: True or False?įalse. As the name suggests, the Bolivian Anaconda can be found in the Bolivian Amazon rainforest while the Dark-Spotted Anaconda roams around the Brazilian Amazon. The other two species of Anacondas, the Dark-Spotted Anaconda ( Eunectes deschauenseei) and the Bolivian Anaconda ( Eunectes beniensis), are quite rare, and little is known about them, though they both have estimated measurements of 15-16 (approx. A shame for the Brazilian construction workers who supposedly encountered a 33-foot anaconda in 2016 in a cave in Brazil’s northern state of Para, although this was never officially recorded or verified.īolivian Anaconda (Eunectes beniensis) 4. The offer was thankfully terminated in 2002 to discourage people from disturbing these animals from their natural habitats. The heaviest and longest anaconda ever recorded weighed a whopping 500 lbs (227 kilograms) and measured a monster 27.7 feet (8.43 meters) in length, with diameter of 44 inches (1.11 meters)!ĭuring the days of President Teddy Roosevelt, the Wildlife Conservation Society offered a $50,000 reward to anyone who could deliver a live snake measuring over 30 feet in length. The Python still takes the title of the world’s longest snake, but in terms of diameter and weight, the anaconda is not only the largest in South America and the Amazon rainforest but also the world. The Green Anaconda, or Eunectes murinus, is the heaviest, largest, and longest snake in South America.
Many legends and lore circulate around the length of the Giant Anaconda. So, the image and the claim about world’s largest snake are untrue.Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) seen in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 2. Hence, the claim that the reptile is 134-foot-long is false too.Ĭoming to the claim about the number of animals and human beings killed by the snake, there is no such report on the Internet that indicates about such a massive tragedy.Īccording to the posts, Africa’s Royal British commandos killed the snake. Though the reticulated python can grow slightly longer in length, the green anaconda is the heaviest. Also, this kind grows up to about 30 feet. The posts also claim that the reptile is “134 feet long and 2067 kgs.” According to National Geographic, the green anaconda is the world’s largest snake and it can weigh up to 550 kgs – which is far less than what the posts claim. This is false as Amazon River is located in South America not Africa.
Talking about the caption, it claims that the snake is found in Africa’s Amazon River. Further, a reverse search reveals that the image of the snake is that of a normal-sized anaconda on which the surrounding and the men were added. If you look closely, the surface where the snake’s body meets the ground appears distorted. There are many aspects that indicate that the image is edited.