Scientists are mourning the loss of the world’s largest snake called ‘Ana Julia’ after learning it was ‘shot dead by hunters’ in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest on Sunday.
A team of 15 international biologists discovered the Northern Green Anaconda in February and determined it was a new species based on a 5.5 percent difference in its DNA compared to other anacondas.
The 7-meter-long lifeless body of Ana Julie was found in the Formoso River in the rural area of Bonito in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in southern Brazil.
A Dutch researcher who helped discover the snake said he was “sad and angry” after hearing the news and called the anaconda’s killers “sick.”
Scientists mourn the loss of the world’s largest snake after learning it was ‘shot dead by hunters’ in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest on Sunday
The 7-meter-long lifeless body of Ana Julie was found in the Formoso River in the rural area of Bonito in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in southern Brazil
Biologist professor Freek Vonk shared the news on Instagram and wrote: ‘With great pain in my heart I would like to let you know that the mighty large anaconda with which I swam was found dead in the river.
‘I have heard from several sources that she was shot dead, although there is still no official confirmation on the cause of death.
‘I’m so sad and so angry at the same time.
‘How sick do you have to be to do this to such a beautiful and unique animal?
‘As far as we know, she was super healthy and still in the prime of her life, so she could have produced many offspring in the coming years.
‘Since there are not many of these colossal giant snakes swimming around, the blow to biodiversity is enormous.
“She was the biggest snake I had ever seen with my own eyes.”
Vonk also called the discovery of the northern green anaconda a ‘highlight’ of his scientific career.
Dutch researcher Freek Vonk, who helped discover the snake, said he was “sad and angry” after hearing the news and called the anaconda’s killers “sick.”
The biologist captured incredible footage of himself swimming with Ana Julia last month, showing that the snake was as thick as a car tire: it weighed 440 pounds.
The biologist captured incredible footage of himself swimming with Ana Julia last month, showing that the snake was as thick as a car tire: it weighed 440 pounds.
According to nature filmmaker Cristian Dimitris, the dead snake is the same as the one that was filmed while swimming with Vonk.
He said: ‘I compared the marks on her face, which look like fingerprints.
‘It must be the most famous anaconda in the world, completely emblematic of the region.
‘Images of the snake have already traveled around the world.’
This was also confirmed by an anaconda specialist and researcher at the University of São Paulo, Juliana Terra, who called Ana Julia a “symbol for the Bonito region.”
Biologist professor Freek Vonk shared the news on Instagram and wrote: ‘With great pain in my heart I would like to let you know that the mighty large anaconda with which I swam was found dead in the river’
Vonk said: ‘I am so sad and so angry at the same time. ‘How sick do you have to be to do this to such a beautiful and unique animal’
According to nature filmmaker Cristian Dimitris, the dead snake is the same as the one that was filmed while swimming with Vonk.
He said: “I compared the marks on her face, which look like fingerprints,” Dimitris said.
‘It must be the most famous anaconda in the world, completely emblematic of the region.
‘Images of the snake have already traveled around the world.’
This was also confirmed by an anaconda specialist and researcher at the University of São Paulo, Juliana Terra, who called Ana Julia a “symbol for the Bonito region.”
Before the discovery, only one species of Green Anaconda – also called the Giant Anaconda – had been recognized in the Amazon.
“Together with fourteen other scientists from nine countries, we discovered that the largest snake species in the world is the green anaconda,” Professor Vonk said in February.
A team of 15 international biologists discovered the Northern Green Anaconda in February, named it “Ana Julia” and determined it was a new species based on a 5.5 percent difference in its DNA compared to other anacondas.
‘As we all know from movies and stories about giant snakes, they are actually two different species.
‘The green anacondas found in the north of their range in South America – including Venezuela, Suriname and French Guiana – appear to belong to a completely different species.
‘Although they look almost identical at first glance, the genetic difference between the two is 5.5 percent and that is huge.
‘To put this into perspective, humans and chimpanzees are genetically only about two percent different from each other.’
The researchers gave the new species the Latin name Eunectes akayima, which means the Northern Green Anaconda.
At the time, the team also raised concerns about the risks the snake faces from climate change and the ongoing deforestation of the Amazon.
“More than a fifth of the Amazon region has already disappeared, which is more than thirty times the area of the Netherlands,” he says
‘The survival of these iconic giant snakes is inextricably linked to protecting their natural habitat.’
