Deep in the overgrown swamps of the Amazon Rainforest lives a creature that reigns far supreme above all others.
They’re practically silent, slipping through dense underbrush and swimming on the bottom of rivers, creating a sense of peace that’s used to lull prey into a false sense of security. But when they strike, it’s overwhelming.
Anacondas have long been some of the most mysterious creatures on the planet. Whether you know them from Hollywood’s embellished movies or heard tales of locals seeing nearly creatures of near incomprehensible size, the anaconda legend is one of the few that still remains mostly a mystery to researchers and the public alike.
In fact, it was just discovered that there are two distinct species of Anaconda in the rainforest, with one specimen of the newly discovered green anaconda growing to the outrageous size of 26 feet and 440 pounds.
However, local legends and even researchers now believe there may be anacondas out there that weigh over 1,000 pounds.
The amount of damage a creature of that size is capable of inflicting is hard to imagine, given what we know the “smaller” specimens do on a daily basis, but if you need a refresher on how adept these snakes are at hunting, let’s take a look at this video that was reposted by conservationist Paul Rosalie.
It shows an anaconda squeezing the life out of a caiman, which is the cousin of the alligator. Admittedly this isn’t the largest caiman we’ve seen but the fact that this snake is able to handily dominate a top predator speaks volumes.
Just listen to the grunts and groans the poor caiman makes as it gets slowly suffocated and crushed to death.
I get that it’s a natural process and how the world works, but man is it hard to watch.
If anyone’s making a trip to the Amazon soon, follow your guides closely and try not to get eaten by one of these monsters because it wouldn’t be anything close to an even match up…
