As of: March 29, 2024, 1:32 p.m
By: Natascha Berger
Comments
Press
Split
The death of a recently discovered eight-meter-long anaconda is causing anger and sadness among researchers. The dark suspicion: She was shot by a person.
Bonito – The recordings of Dutch biologist Freek Vonk swimming with a giant anaconda went around the world. A team of scientists first discovered the snake, eight meters long and weighing a whopping 200 kilograms, a few weeks ago in the Formoso River in Bonito, Brazil. However, the researcher now has to give a sad update: the anaconda is dead and was probably shot.
Researchers discovered Green Anaconda while filming - now she has been found dead
On Instagram, Freek Vonk shares photos of the dead anaconda that he had himself photographed and filmed with underwater in February 2023. She was probably found not far from the river that had been her home for decades. “What a sad and tragic loss,” reads the caption. Vonk was part of a team of 15 scientists from nine countries who came across the giant reptile, a green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), while filming the documentary series “Pole to Pole with Will Smith.”
In a first statement on Instagram, the Dutchman shared his suspicion that the snake was shot. He received this information from various sources. Initial investigations into the cause of death have so far been unable to confirm or refute this.
Eight meters long, weighing 200 kilograms and having a human-sized head: the recently discovered anaconda Ana Julia is dead. © xJamxPressxVid/StudioxFreek,xAmsterdam/Imago
Hardly any natural enemies: Researcher rules out natural death of giant anaconda in Brazil
However, Vonk does not want to believe that the constrictor snake, which the researchers named Ana Julia, died of natural causes. She was “super healthy and still in her prime.” In the coming years, the snake could have provided for many more offspring, he writes on Instagram. Her death is not only a "senseless tragedy", but also a major setback for biodiversity - especially because, according to the current state of research, there are not very many specimens of the female giant snake. Green anacondas are found primarily in South America and are among the largest and heaviest snakes in the world. Once they are fully grown, they have few natural enemies. They can quickly kill their victims, mostly small to medium-sized vertebrates, thanks to their hunting method and their pronounced musculature.
Shot a giant anaconda? Researcher calls for severe punishment for perpetrators
Ana Julia was the largest snake the researcher had ever seen with his own eyes. Photos show: Her head alone was the same size as a human's. The Dutchman spent around an hour with the Green Anaconda on the bottom of the river. He describes this experience as one of his “most breathtaking nature experiences”. The loss of the animal is all the more painful. He asks himself on Instagram: “How sick do you have to be to do something like that to such a beautiful and unique animal!?” Now he hopes that the perpetrators will be found and brought to justice as quickly as possible. Destroying nature so senselessly must be severely punished.
My news
F-16 fighter jets shot down: Putin threatens to attack NATO airfields
Quake in the construction industry: Read the bankruptcy of a large German real estate company
Cheese recall: Federal Office warns of health risks – according to the RKI, three groups are particularly susceptible to focus reading
Meloni takes action: Italy cancels the “super bonus” read
Silent holiday before Easter – What are you allowed to do on Good Friday in Bavaria? read
She had planned Gottschalk's visit to BR completely differently: Schöneberger lost his composure
It's not just snakes that fascinate researchers around the world: off the coast of Corsica, scientists are trying to track down the world's most elusive shark.
(nbe)