Researchers filmed a giant female green anaconda in Ecuador’s Amazon, estimated at about 17 feet (4.9–5.2 meters). But the sources describing the encounter do not establish that she was the largest anaconda ever recorded. The major scientific discovery tied to the expedition was different: a 2024 study distinguished northern green anacondas as a species separate from southern green anacondas.
What scientists discovered: a distinct northern green anaconda
The key scientific finding was a taxonomic one, not a verified record for the length of a single snake. A 2024 paper described the northern green anaconda as Eunectes akayima, distinct from the southern green anaconda, Eunectes murinus. The two had previously been treated as one species. The paper is published in Diversity and is identified by DOI 10.3390/d16020127.
Live Science reported that the lineages differ by 5.5% of their DNA and were estimated to have diverged about 10 million years ago. Those figures describe the relationship between the lineages; they are not measurements of the filmed snake.
Where and when the anaconda was filmed
The field encounter took place during sampling in 2022 in Baihuaeri Waorani Territory in Ecuador’s Amazon. According to Live Science, the team was collecting samples for a snake genetics study. The footage later appeared in National Geographic’s series Pole to Pole with Will Smith.
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The episode, “The Amazon: Dark Waters,” features Will Smith, professor Bryan Fry, local mountaineer Carla Perez, and Waorani elder Penti Baihua. National Geographic’s description says the group removes one scale from the snake. The 2022 sampling contributed to the genetics research, but the television encounter should not be mistaken for Will Smith alone discovering or formally naming the species.
How large was the snake—and was it a record?
Live Science reported that Bryan Fry estimated the female in the footage at 16–17 feet (4.9–5.2 meters). National Geographic’s episode listing describes her as 17 feet long. These are estimates reported through the program; the available accounts do not provide a measurement protocol or an independently checked length.
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For that reason, it is more accurate to call her a giant green anaconda estimated at about 17 feet than “the largest anaconda on record.” The sources documenting this story do not establish an all-time record or give a comparison set that would verify one. A striking animal in a program description is not, by itself, proof of a validated record.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When the episode aired and where to look for it
National Geographic lists “The Amazon: Dark Waters” as airing on January 20, 2026. A December 11, 2025 announcement said the series would premiere January 13, 2026, on National Geographic, stream the following day on Disney+ globally, and stream on Hulu in the United States. Those were announced release details; current access can vary by territory and service listing.
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