Summary
Highlights
An expedition is launched in Guyana to investigate the true nature and size of the anaconda, often exaggerated in local folklore. The team, including specialist Jung Sandy, cameraman Mike Allicot, and team leader Rainer, utilizes advanced equipment in the tropical lowlands of South America.
Vultures circling a carcass lead the team to their first anaconda, a large specimen measuring 5 meters. The anaconda, sluggish on land when full, shares its rich habitat with capybaras, numerous bird species, and rare cats like the ocelot. The changing seasons, particularly the early end of the dry season, make tracking the camouflaged snakes more challenging.
The team consults local Amar Indian Theodore, who recounts a harrowing encounter with a monster anaconda in his youth, leading them to a mythical 'Itch Pond'. To locate this remote area, they employ a ultralight plane equipped with a camera and a specialized drone controlled by a cyber glove. The drone successfully records a tapir and continues its search for the anacondas.
While surveying Itch Pond, the drone identifies a 5.5-meter anaconda, but then experiences a critical malfunction, losing control and GPS transmission before its battery dies. Later, as isolated pools dry up, an elderly female anaconda demonstrates her resilience by finding a suitable pool, highlighting the species' survival strategies during the dry season, including burying themselves or migrating.
The team travels to the Bumoco River, a region abundant with diverse wildlife, including agouti pakas, a preferred prey for anacondas. They witness a rare event: an anaconda giving birth to live young after a seven-month gestation period, during which the female fasts and loses significant weight. The young are immediately independent, though most will not survive their first months.
Further upstream, local fishermen guide the team to a large anaconda coiled around a tree, which measures around 6 meters. They also observe the intense rivalry between anacondas and black caymans. The team then delves deeper into the forest, where ancient Amar Indian legends speak of colossal anacondas, fueling their quest to confront the myth of the giant snake.
Navigating wider waterways, the team observes a young tapir escaping a puma, showcasing the predator-prey dynamics of the rainforest. Using an ROV (remotely operated vehicle), they explore the underwater world, encountering giant Amazonian water lilies, matamata turtles, and a close, unexpected encounter with an 8-meter anaconda. Marian describes this as a 'docile' and 'relaxed' creature, emphasizing the profound impact of the direct encounter over mere statistics.
The team continues their research at night, using a remote-controlled car with an infrared camera to observe wildlife, including peccaries, potential anaconda prey. Rainer and Mike attempt to lure an anaconda with bait but are outsmarted by a cayman. Later, they find a young male anaconda, which leads them to a fascinating spectacle: a breeding ball. Over ten males are coiled around a single female, guided by her pheromones, a remarkable annual event where the biggest snake in the world reveals its intimate nature.