MOSCOW, February 21. Genetic research has identified a new species of anaconda, according to a scientific article in the journal Diversity.
An international team of scientists conducted a large-scale study to clarify the classification of anacondas. It turned out that the Giant Anaconda species should be divided into two new groups — northern and southern — due to large differences in the genome.
«The main discovery was the identification of two different treasure inside Eunectes murinus, which opened two species — hidden, but deeply different genetically,» the scientists noted.
The new species of Northern giant anaconda is found in the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela and Colombia.< br />
According to the authors of the article, their discovery could play a big role in the conservation of the largest snakes on the planet. The study found that zoologists have a poor understanding of the true diversity of South American fauna and need to better take into account differences in anaconda lifestyles and numbers in different regions.