As if the appearance of one 9-foot-long green anaconda wasn’t enough for the residents of Florida’s Brevard County, a second 9-foot-long green anaconda has reportedly surfaced in the coastal county east of Orlando.
The appearance of the large snake–reportedly spotted by a woman and her two dogs on February 1, 2016–marks the second appearance of an anaconda in Brevard County within the last few months. The last appearance took place in late November of 2015.
On average, green anacondas, which can grow up to 30 feet long, measure roughly 17 feet in length. The species, which weighs in at 550 pounds, is considered to be the largest snake in the world based on its weight to length ratio.
The giant anaconda, known formally as Eunectes murinus, is an aquatic species native to South America.
Their existence in Florida poses a risk to the state’s native wildlife, Florida Today indicated in a recent report covering the capture of the latest anaconda to appear in Brevard.
The anaconda that popped up in November was shot and killed by state wildlife officials.
The one that appeared on February 1 was removed by Brevard County Animal Services and later handed over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) who, according to FWC Investigator Damon Saunders, will pickle the snake before placing it on display at the Brevard County museum, FOX 13 reported.
A scan of the snake intended to reveal the existence of a microchip indicating an owner failed to reveal any such chip. Subsequently, FWC spokesman Greg Workman indicated that the snake “wasn’t there legally,” Florida Today reported.
Basically, it wasn’t there legally […] They’re a top predator. They get huge. They can really decimate an area.
The woman who recently discovered the snake, real estate agent Leisa Remsberg with the SunCoast Real Estate Group, was quoted by Florida Today as having said that she “wasn’t thinking what it was, because it was so large” and that once it “raised its head up” and began “snapping” and “lurching” at her dogs, she “started screaming for the dogs right away.”
I started screaming for the dogs right away.
She referred to the ordeal as a “crazy” one.
