Even the name “Anaconda” gives me the chills. These huge and threatening snakes are a real nightmare for many.

Even though they are not venomous, these large snakes can stay underwater and swim with the dark green colored body submerged and the head above the murky waters, and this leaves me petrified.

While diving in the Formoso river in Brazil, two friends came face to face with this giant reptile.

Anacondas typically live in marshes, swamps and murky streams in South American but the Formoso River in Brazil offers crystal clear waters, so it is the only place in the world where people can dive with these huge predators.

They wake up from hibernation from the end of July to the beginning of August, so this time is ideal to dive and get to know these majestic creatures better.

The river water temperature is 22-24 degrees year-round, but during the winter, the air is generally cooler than the water, so the anacondas spend more time in the water.

Bartolomeo Bove and Juca Ygarape came in to contact with a giant green anaconda, measuring 23 foot (7m) and weighing in around 198 lbs. (90 Kgs)

In the video, the snake lies in the river bed, and once it sees the camera, it inspects it, flicks its tongue and swims away. Bove, a professional shark diver, and underwater videographer, followed it to get more footage of it.

The video he filmed offers an amazing opportunity to get to know the giant snake better. Bove claims that they are often misunderstood in terms of being aggressive.

He explains:

 “The rivers and the bodies of water around the Bonito area are the only places in South America here anacondas can be found in crystal clear waters, and therefore diving with them is possible.

As shown in the footage, the anaconda swims calm and peaceful completely indifferent to our presence. Sometimes she comes closer, curious about my camera, licking the lens.

The behavior of the anaconda debunks the myth that it is an aggressive and violent creature that can endanger people’s lives.”

The green anaconda is the biggest species of snake in the world and can grow up to 30ft long (9.1 meters) and weight 550 lbs (250 Kg). These snakes move really fast and kill their prey by constricting its breathing, wrapping their powerful bodies around the prey.

They can unhinge their jaws, so they can swallow preys much larger than themselves. The green anaconda reaches its massive size on a diet of local wildlife like capybaras, wild pigs, birds, turtles and sometimes jaguars.

Bove hopes his video will reveal another side of the magnificent reptile, and described his experience as unbelievable:

 “No words can do justice to the sensations that I was really feeling during that experience.” 

Scroll down to see the video captured by Bove:

Sources:
theinfo.me
www.thedodo.com
www.dailymail.co.uk