Original subtitles

[Forrest] A Brazilian legend of a mysterious aquatic reptile

leads us right into the habitat of the world's largest snake.

So these crosses, when all fall down,

-that's when the big snake will rise up. -Yes.

[Forrest] Can this fable lead us to clues

about an actual giant constrictor?

The size of the scales.

This is her home.

My wife Jess and I are tracking my lifelong obsession

with a plan to capture a giant snake,

take samples and find out if it can live long enough

to grow as big as the legend...

[whispering]

...of the 50-foot anaconda.

Hold her, hold her.

Guys, help!

-[Jessica gasps] -Under here! I need help over here!

[Jessica] Oh, no!

I'm Forrest Galante.

As a wildlife biologist

tracking and rediscovering animals

on the verge of extinction...

Oh, my God!

...I've noticed a pattern of mysterious sightings

and human-wildlife conflict...

Look, there's an elephant! There's an elephant right there!

...which often turn deadly.

[indistinct shouting]

Now, my team and I are scouring the globe

to shed light on the myths and misconceptions

surrounding our planet's most...

Mysterious Creatures.

-I can jump right out. -No, no.

-[laughing] -[man] None of that. None of that.

[Forrest] Look at that.

This is the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

An area that at one point in time was nothing but jungle.

Today, as you look out,

you see farmlands and scattered pieces of fragmented habitat.

But we're not here for the farms.

We're here to investigate a legend.

A legend of giant snakes.

Those that have been seen by famous explorers like Percy Fawcett

and even a local mythical healer.

Local legend states the mute healer Sinhozinho

saved his village by trapping a giant snake underground

and marking it with three crosses.

This area is known for the largest snake in the world,

the green anaconda.

Claims of a snake stretching 40, sometimes even 50 feet.

[Forrest] We're hoping that by coming here in the dry season,

while the water has receded into isolated pockets and rivers,

that we can look for the giant snakes.

And hopefully capture one.

So we can take a tissue sample and study its growth rate.

While I showed a great interest in all wildlife from an early age,

snakes were always my absolute favorite.

Growing up in Zimbabwe introduced me to hundreds of species of snakes.

And I learned to have a healthy respect for adders,

cobras and the deadly black mamba.

But even as a scientist, I have always appreciated how this animal's appeal

is literally biblical,

playing a role in the myth and lore of cultures around the world.

And who can blame them?

Show me a more fascinating animal.

This ancient super-evolved predator,

using a complex network of muscles and scales rippling in unison,

pushes its sleek, slender body along almost any surface.

They're one of nature's most deadly and effective assassins.

Over the years, I've been lucky enough to meet other scientists

who share my unique obsession.

Like Daniel De Granville.

-Daniel! Hey, man. -Hey, hi!

So nice to finally meet you.

At last, huh? Finally.

We've come here to this specific region in Brazil

to try and find one of these giant anacondas.

And I got what you're looking for.

Oh, that makes life easy.

-Come on. -[both chuckle]

[Daniel] Watch out, be careful with the deadly anaconda.

-[Forrest chuckles] There it is. -[Jessica chuckles]

[Forrest] Green anacondas...

Beautiful!

...live in tropical rainforests.

They prefer slow streams and marshy areas

where they can be stealthy hunters.

-[Daniel] Can I tell you something? This is... -[Forrest] Yeah.

impressive in size and all,

but it's just a free sample.

-[laughs] -That is a free sample.

-This is the trial version. -This is the trial version.

[Jessica] Look at the size of the scutes on the belly.

These scales along the stomach here,

that's what they use to move along the ground.

But snakes, like all reptiles, they grow until they die.

Right? They never stop growing.

This animal's young. Maybe a year or two old.

Maybe three.

But a snake that would be 50 feet in length,

would have to be 100-plus years old.

And we really don't know much about the growth and age rate of these snakes.

-This is mainly an aquatic species. -Of course.

If you look, the eyes and the nostrils and the mouth

are on the very top of the head.

[Forrest and Jessica] Mmm-hmm.

So that enables the snake to keep a very, very small portion of its body

-out of the water. -[Forrest] Right.

-It can see. It can breathe. -[Forrest] Yep.

[Daniel] It can sense the environment with the tongue.

And still keep a great majority of its body hidden in the water.

-So, sometimes it can just... -[Jessica] Yeah.

-[Daniel] ...pass by one on the boat. -Yep.

[Jessica] You wouldn't even know.

-You have to see this. -You wouldn't even know.

-'Cause you wouldn't know. -It reminds me of a crocodile.

-Crocodiles and alligators... -[Forrest] Mmm-hmm.

-...sit with their heads out like that. -[Forrest] Absolutely.

So, Daniel, while I really appreciate you showing us this beautiful snake,

it's not quite the monster that we've come to Brazil for.

Where do you think we should start our investigation

to try and find a truly big snake?

There's a local myth, in the 1950s

there used to be a healer here, like a holy man.

And supposedly, he trapped a gigantic anaconda underneath town.

And he put kind of a curse, kind of like a spell on the city.

-[Forrest] Uh-huh. -[Daniel] And at the same time,

he planted three crosses on the ranch nearby.

And he said that when the third cross collapses,

this gigantic anaconda will come loose and destroy all of the town.

So a good place to start

-would maybe be heading to those crosses. -Uh-huh.

[Forrest] Legends like these may sound like fantasy.

But time and time again,

Jess and I have found these tales

are often based in reality.

-Release him? -Sure, yeah, wonderful.

There we go.

And studying them can be very revealing

once you separate fact from fiction.

Ah.

We've arranged a meeting with Noraldino Aconro,

a local farmer and the caretaker of the three crosses.

[speaking other language]

How you doing?

-Obrigado. -[Jessica] Nice to meet you.

-Yeah. -[Jessica] Obrigada.

We've heard these crosses have something to do with the legend of a giant snake.

[speaking other language]

[Forrest] Mmm-hmm.

[Forrest] Noraldino says he was a student

of the famous healer Sinhozinho.

So these crosses, when they all fall down,

that's when the big snake will rise up.

-Yeah. -[Forrest] Yeah, okay, wow.

[speaking other language]

[Forrest] Noraldino also told us that there's a second part to this legend.

Which is that if the people of Bonito don't take care of nature,

then the serpents are surely to rise up as well and also flatten town.

But the part that interests us the most

is the part that there is this gigantic snake

that apparently Sinhozinho trapped in a cave beneath Bonito.

Oh, look, the sun's coming down a little bit.

-[chuckles] -[speaking other language]

Oh, careful, careful. You don't wanna wake up the snake.

[all chuckling]

These crosses are outstanding.

And I love the message of Sinhozinho

But could you tell us where the cave is

and maybe we can go and see the snake?

[speaking other language]

[Forrest] Yeah.

So we asked Noraldino can we go to that cave?

And he advised strongly against it.

But we've come here to look for a giant snake.

We have a lead that there's a giant snake in a cave right outside of town.

-[Noraldino] Obrigado. -Obrigada.

Goodbye.

And that's where we're headed next.

And the entrance is less than two miles from Noraldino's farm.

[Forrest] Also known as the antbear,

these are the biggest anteaters in the world.

And the only species that is mostly terrestrial.

Meaning they spend almost all of the their time on the ground, as we see here.

[Forrest whispering]

[Forrest] You think of a giant anaconda

and you think the perfect prey species

is going to be something like a big cow or a big deer.

Not at all.

That is the ideal meal.

See how it's long and cylindrical?

It's the perfect thing for an anaconda to come up and eat.

Now, all we have to find is the predator.

Those big anacondas, they could be preying

on these gorgeous animals. But hopefully not this one.

[Jessica] Hopefully not this one.

[Forrest] The story we've been told of the three crosses

does sound more like fiction than science.

But the cave itself is very real.

I mean, you never know. Maybe people really did see snakes in the caves.

[Forrest] Giant snakes do hang out in caves.

In fact, in Indonesia,

the best place to find giant reticulated pythons is outside of bat caves,

-where they hang out and grab bats out of the air. -That's true.

[Jessica] They'd have plenty of prey that way.

So, you know, I think there is an element of truth to both the fact that

it's literal and that it's metaphorical.

And maybe we find some proof of a giant snake right here in the cave.

-Mmm-hmm. -And if we do,

then that answers where the legend came from.

Yeah, I mean, look down. Town's right there.

It all would have been interconnected by these cave systems.

And there would have been giant snakes around.

But the local capuchins don't seem very stressed

about running into any predators.

-Look at that. -[Jessica] They're having an intimate moment.

We're really disturbing them.

Nah, it doesn't seem like it.

-[Jessica chuckles] -They're a great prey source.

[Forrest] Oh, wow. This is cool.

-[Jessica] Oh, yeah. -[Forrest] It's a beautiful cavern

just keeps going down and down and down.

Oh, look, look. Oh, wow.

-I thought it's... Look at this. -[Jessica] Oh. [laughs]

[Forrest] It totally looks like...

[Jessica] You thought that was a snake, didn't you?

Yeah, I mean, look. That totally works as a big snake, doesn't it?

I mean, I bought it myself for a half-second.

-[Jessica] Yeah. -Yeah.

-[chuckles] That's funny. -That's cool.

-Roots growing all the way down through the cavern. -[Jessica] Mmm-hmm.

[Jessica] Ooh, watch yourself. There you go.

[Forrest] Oh, wow, yeah. Look at this.

What a cave.

[Jessica] Whoa.

[Forrest] So this is one of the caves that this region is famous for.

Where the surface just looks like nothing

and then below it are these massive limestone caverns.

[Jessica] Yeah, you can see the skylight up there.

So there's like a tiny hole on the surface.

If an animal fell in, it'd totally be trapped.

But a snake wouldn't be.

[Forrest] Snakes are incredible climbers.

An anaconda could easily climb down in here and stay in here.

[Jessica] Yeah.

[Forrest] So let's just see if we can come down to the water here.

See if there's any signs of life.

Look at how clear this water is.

[Jessica] That water is crystal clear.

[Forrest] Can we get the dive gear down here?

What we're gonna do now is just gear up to get beneath the surface

and see if we can look for any evidence

that there could be any giant anacondas in this water.

[Forrest speaking]

[Jessica speaking]

[Forrest speaking]

[Jessica speaking]

[Forrest] No sign of any anacondas.

But I want to drop even lower

and scan the bottom of this cavern.

[Jessica speaking]

[Forrest] The unique curved snout is a dead giveaway.

The acids and enzymes in the anaconda's stomach are intense.

And larger prey can sometimes spend weeks passing through their digestive system.

Even the bones are dissolved.

[Jessica] I've loved fossils my entire life.

So, seeing that preserved anteater under the water was just really special.

But there's not really any signs of life down here.

While the belief and the legend might be

that there are giant snakes beneath the city

and beneath the town around here,

the biologist in me says that we need to rethink our strategy,

head back up to the surface and head into the jungle.

[Forrest] I reached out to Daniel to let him know

our cave adventure wasn't showing any evidence.

And he alerted us to a recent sighting of an enormous anaconda downriver.

It's a long trek down the Bonito River.

But I like our chances better with a confirmed sighting,

than searching more cave systems.

So we're just heading out of town now.

We've got the boats with us,

and we're looking for a place to put in and head downriver.

And that's where we're hoping we're gonna find our giant aquatic snake.

If the snake potentially has gotten to this gargantuan size,

that means it's very old. And chances are its survival tactic

has been staying away from humans.

So that's why we need to get so deep into the jungle here.

[exhales deeply]

So it's been a pretty good journey just getting to this stage.

We've found an area. Now we can put the boats in.

We're gonna load them up,

carry them down to the water, launch them.

Daniel is joining our crew

along with local herpetologist Juliana de Souza Terra,

Bonito's own mayor, Juca Ygarape,

and our river boat captain, Adao.

Getting onto the river was just the beginning.

We have to maneuver these boats over multiple small waterfalls.

Without dumping all our gear...

Or ourselves.

[men speaking other language]

Aron here found something.

[Forrest] Oh, yeah I can see him pretty clearly now.

Right there. You'll see.

[man] You wanna...

Aron here found something very exciting.

If you look in the bushes right here...

This is how incredibly cryptic these snakes are.

Right here is our first wild anaconda.

See him right there all coiled up?

He's just starting to be alert to our presence now.

Anacondas will prey on almost anything they can swallow.

And from here, this young specimen has access to small fish

birds and even other reptiles.

Beautiful, stunning anaconda.

But it's not what we've come here for.

We've come here for a true monster,

and this is about the same size

as the one that Daniel showed us at the bio park.

First wild anaconda, not what we're looking for.

Our goal is to capture the largest snake we can find.

And take a sample, so we can age it.

This will tell us if it can live long enough

to reach lengths of 50 feet or more,

and help us better understand how to protect them.

Let's just keep heading further and further towards the source of this river.

The reason that these rivers are so blue and so clear,

and there's so much visibility and fish life here,

is these are actually springs that spout up through the sand.

And this visibility is a huge asset.

It makes it easier to find areas

that a giant snake would use for hunting.

So what we're looking for is an area where you have overhanging logs,

and big riverbanks hanging out in the sun.

See, this forest is thick and it's dense.

And the forest floor is cool and shaded.

So, what they're looking for is a place where they can escape the cold water,

escape the cold, shaded forest,

and have this perfect little piece of habitat,

where there's enough sun for them to gain energy

to head back into the forest, or back into the water to continue hunting.

All right. We're gonna have to offload everything here.

Move it on to the dry.

Pick the boat up, and then keep going.

One, two...

As beautiful as these waterfalls are,

they don't play well with boats.

...two, three.

Okay.

All right. There we go.

[Forrest, quietly] So we've just come off the boats now,

and there's this little tributary that feeds up here.

And it just looks like the perfect place

for a big anaconda to go and rest,

come out to the main body of water, go back and rest.

So while the sun's overhead, we're just gonna check this tributary.

That's it.

There's all kinds of tracks here from game going down to drink.

The perfect anaconda ambush spot.

We're trying to be quiet.

But sneaking up on an anaconda is nearly impossible.

They can use their tongues to catch our scents,

can detect heat using special pits near their eyes

and they use the bones in their jaws to feel surface vibrations.

-That slide right there. -Oh, yeah.

[Forrest] See how big that slide is?

Shh, shh, shh.

[Forrest whispers] She's huge. Look here. Look.

See how there's all of this trodden-down area here?

The peccaries, the capybara, they're all coming here to get water

'cause it goes the furthest into the jungle.

Jess, how big does she look from your end?

I'd guess, like, 15 feet?

-[Forrest] Yeah. -[Jessica] But she is really fat.

She might be breeding this season.

[Forrest] So while this is a big, beautiful [chuckles] really impressive snake,

This is not the real monster that we've come here for.

So, let's leave her be, let's leave her in peace and keep going.

Never thought I'd turn down catching a snake that size in my life. [laughs]

As clear as this water is, we saw how the anaconda's natural camouflage

allowed it to seamlessly blend into the creek bed.

To get around this natural defense,

we have to get in the water, and look up from underneath,

where they are easier to spot against the surface.

These snakes like to spend the cool nights

submerged under reed mats under the cover of darkness

So, that's where we have to put ourselves before the sun goes down.

So as soon as these guys are ready, we'll hop in.

Johnny, tell us what you just found.

Well, it seems we've got the only remaining pieces of the last guy

that tried to do what we're about to go do.

-[Forrest chuckles] -So, this should be fun.

If you're looking for a giant snake,

the theory is, when they get to a certain size,

they're literally too big to be on land.

So all of this island that you see here, has this massive overhang.

And underneath it is a series of caverns and tunnels

and the perfect place for a mega snake to hide completely undetected.

And it's, uh, it's very creepy.

Johnny. Come see what I found.

This looks really promising.

[Forrest] It's in there. It's deep.

I'm gonna stick my arm in.

So just watch out, in case something happens.

-[Johnny] You wanna tell me what it is? -Nope.

Okay.

[Johnny chuckles]

It all fell apart.

But down there,

is an absolutely massive snake shed.

I mean, you can see this is just one little section of it.

I wish I could've got it out. It looked like a sleeping bag under there.

This is not doing it justice.

But you can see it's just completely shredding,

and it's all interwoven with the sticks.

[sighs] Let's keep looking.

[Forrest] Oh, wow, Johnny, look in here.

[grunts]

[grunting]

[Forrest] Look in here.

-[Jessica] Where? -[Forrest] Look at the skin.

[Jessica] More skin.

[Forrest] Look at the size of the scales.

-They go all the way back in this tunnel -[Jessica] Oh, wow.

[Jessica] This definitely looks like her home. [laughs]

[Forrest] This is her little lair.

[grunts] Okay.

-This is truly from a magnificent snake. -[Jessica] Oh, wow.

[Forrest] This is her home. We've got this little lair here.

Snakes shed their skin as they grow.

Meaning the anaconda that shed this...

is now even bigger.

This is definitely where there's a very large snake hanging out.

These scales are huge.

They're bigger than any I've ever seen.

So, chances are, these belong to a female.

And we know that the female anacondas tend to have a home range.

So, I definitely think we're on the right track. We're getting closer.

What we're gonna do, guys, is grab the gear,

and I wanna stay away from the water

because we make too much noise.

So, we're gonna go build camp up in the jungle for the night.

-[man] Sounds good. -Okay.

[Forrest] As the sun rises, we're back out on the water,

scanning the area near where we discovered the female's den yesterday.

[Jessica] Something is moving back there.

[whispering]

[mouthing]

This is by far the largest anaconda we've seen.

And it's going to take all of us to catch her without harming her or us.

So we're backing off a bit to quickly make a plan.

[whispering]

She's in a very precarious spot.

She's on that log, with water on either side.

-I think we should approach on the log and go for her. -[Jessica] Yep.

But we're probably gonna roll into the water.

[Forrest] Yes.

But this is no jokes, guys. You gotta listen.

This is not, like, hold your camera and watch me die, right?

This is come and help if you need to help.

If she gets a coil around my trunk or my chest,

she'll break my ribs and kill me.

The fact that we are moments from trying to capture

a giant snake already has us all on edge.

[Forrest] I'm not gonna let go of her head.

I'm telling you right now, I'm not letting go of her head.

-Whatever, man. That's fine. -[Mitch] Don't forget that.

-[Mitch speaking] -Okay. Cupcake. I--

You're gonna have to drop the cameras and help. Let's go.

Okay. Ready? Johnny, you ready?

I'm getting a little jittery here.

[inaudible]

[Forrest] We found one of the giant anacondas,

what we've come here looking for.

She's curled up in that little bit of bushes.

Johnny's ready to dive,

Jess and I are gonna go for the approach,

but we're all gonna work together,

see if she's as big as the legends say,

get a weight, get a measurement.

Then we're gonna free her into this beautiful water.

It's pre-game jitters time. [laughs nervously]

Since this super-sized green anaconda is tightly coiled,

we have no idea how long it actually is.

I saw one coil and it was like...

I mean, like a tree trunk.

[Forrest] Or how many of us it will take to overpower her.

These snakes are, like, the most powerful thing you can imagine.

She's a whole lot of snake in there.

[whistles] She's big. See her coil?

[whispering] Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.

[Forrest] The plan is to rush her.

If I can secure her head, we have a chance.

[Forrest] Oh, [bleep]!

[Jessica] Careful.

[Forrest] Watch out. Watch out. She's gonna strike.

Hold her. Hold her if you can.

-I gotta get her head. -[Juliana] Guys, help us.

[Forrest] We need help! We need help!

Cannot let her get more leverage.

Johnny, come help if you can.

Just come in, dude. Just come in. I'm serious.

We're gonna lose her.

I failed to secure her head.

Jess, be careful. She's gonna strike.

[grunts]

Her head's up here. Her head's up here.

Hold her. Hold her.

[grunts]

[Forrest shouts] Come to here! I need help over here!

-[shouts] Cupcake! -[Jessica] She's squeezing...

Where is she?

[grunting]

-[Jessica] The anaconda! -[Forrest] Help, guys. Help.

-[Jessica grunts] -[Forrest] You need to come to us.

[Jessica shouts] Oh, no!

[Forrest] Johnny!

[Jessica grunts]

[Forrest] Someone's gotta hold with Jess so I can go get it.

[Jessica] Someone hold with me!

[Johnny] All right. I'm coming, man.

[Forrest] Help the girls.

[Johnny] Can you get in there?

[Forrest] Where's her head, guys?

Right here. She's moving, she's moving, she's moving.

[Mitch] Johnny, can you get in front of her?

[Jessica] I'm losing her!

[Mitch] We're not gonna hold her much longer, Forrest!

[Jessica] She's slipping away!

[Forrest] She's gone.

Clearly a survivor at that size.

-[sighs in exasperation] -[Jessica] That was awkward.

[Forrest] That was my fault, guys.

I went for the grab and she just dodged me.

They're so strong.

Fortunately, she wasn't hurt and neither were we.

[Forrest speaking]

-Yeah, in there. In there, yeah. -[man] This?

[Forrest] Yeah.

[Forrest] Anacondas this large and powerful have been known

to eat deer, caiman and even cattle.

Our team of ten was no match for her incredible strength.

[Forrest speaking]

[Jessica speaking]

[Forrest] Get the dive gear. Get the dive gear.

I've never encountered a snake of that strength before.

So, we have to do this another way.

We're gonna get in on scuba, 'cause she is literally unmanageable.

It's the first snake I've ever met that I can't manage.

She's twice as fast in the water.

Reaching speeds of 10 miles an hour.

But we've tired her out.

So, we're gonna try to swim up next to her

and get a measurement before she slips away.

[on radio]

[man] Underneath you, Mitch.

[on radio]

She can easily stay submerged for ten minutes or more.

And while she's too tired for an attack,

she's still a strike danger if we get too close to her head.

[man 1] We need you guys ready. We've got an opportunity here.

[man 2] Okay.

[Forrest] We've got another shot at capturing her.

She's moved onto the shallow bank.

If we can all surround her and get on top of her head, it could give us an advantage.

-She's right here. -[Johnny] You see her head?

-[Forrest] Her head's up here. -Okay.

[Forrest] She's under this log.

She's recharging right now.

She's right in here. She is unmanageably large.

We might have a shot at her here.

[Forrest speaking]

By coiling up, she makes it difficult

for more than two of us to approach at once.

And knowing which part of her you are grabbing becomes a crapshoot.

-[man] I don't see her. -[Forrest] I'm coming. Stay there. Stay there.

I can see her head. I can see it.

Same as last time.

If I can secure her head, we have a chance.

Watch out, watch out, watch out!

It's coming through to you guys.

Jess, stay with her.

Stay with her. I gotta go this way.

-Watch out. -[Johnny] Going for it.

[Forrest shouting] Come here! Grab her head, grab her head!

-Yes! -[Johnny] We got her.

-We got her, we got her. -[Forrest] Hold her, hold her.

Two hands, two hands, two hands, two hands.

Four hands, four hands.

Everybody on. Everybody on.

We're getting her here, guys. We're getting her. All right.

[Jessica] We need one person here.

-[Juliana] Could you help, Johnny? -[Johnny] Yep.

[Forrest] Okay, I'm getting the side. I got it.

Jess, let go. Jess, let go.

[Johnny] Okay, what's it on? This one?

[Forrest] You gotta come under. Yep, that's the way.

That's the right way.

-[Johnny] Under? Under? -[Forrest] Yep.

Got her head. Not yet, not yet. And I got it.

Okay. Here we go.

So, grab the head. Little bit higher, Johnny,

or you're gonna get bitten. There we go. That's all right.

Shallow, not deep. Shallow, not deep.

We got her, guys.

We're doing it. We are doing it.

Okay?

-[man speaking indistinctly] -[Forrest] Be gentle on her neck.

-[Johnny] Okay. -[Forrest] That's the way. That's the way.

Watch this coil.

This first third is the strongest third.

[Johnny] Yep, I got her.

We can get a chunk of her body into the boat, guys.

-[Johnny] Okay. -[Jessica] Okay.

Okay.

-Okay, you got it? -[Forrest] Yep, I got it.

-[man speaking other language] -I got it.

[Juliana] Lift her.

-[Forrest] Hold her mouth closed. -[Juliana] Yeah.

[Forrest] Okay. You got it. You got it.

The darkness from this hood will calm her down

and restrict her from biting anyone.

[Forrest] It's that first coil that's the most dangerous, guys.

[Juliana] Okay.

[Forrest] You can release her.

-[Johnny] We can let go? Okay. -[Forrest] Yep.

Oh, Juliana, watch out. Watch out!

We're gonna lose her in the water.

Yeah. She's all right now.

Let's go to that area upriver where there's nice, flat bank.

That was insane.

The largest snake I've ever handled.

A hulk of the animal kingdom.

You got it? Okay.

[Forrest] So, this is what it's like camping in Brazil.

Just got back to the camp area.

This is the spot we designated the toilet.

And sure enough, I have a little fat water hamster,

aka a capybara, hanging out here just watching me pee.

So check this guy.

The largest rodent species on Earth.

A semi-aquatic creature that hangs out in an area like this, my camp.

Near to the water, but lives in the jungle.

They can grow fairly large.

In fact, the heaviest ever recorded

was a female from this area in Brazil

that weighed just over 200 pounds.

If you see that thing swimming around at night

and you're a 20-foot-long anaconda,

it's literally the perfect meal.

[Forrest] We've got her.

The largest snake I've ever handled.

We're just taking a short ride upriver,

near to the place where we first spotted her,

so that we can release her by her den.

Okay. All right. Listen up, everybody.

We've gotta get a weight and a length.

[Jessica] Okay.

For length.

We have to measure section by section with a length of cord

using her scales as reference points.

And got it.

The longer she is, the older she is.

Come on.

Look at the size of this snake.

Oh, she's an impressive animal.

[man] Eighteen.

-[Forrest] 19-footer. -19 feet.

[Forrest] A 19-footer.

Not quite as large as the legends.

But average females are only around 15 feet.

She's an incredibly rare monster snake.

Never seen an animal like that, have you?

Now, we're just going to shave off a bit of a scale.

This won't hurt her, but it will allow us to confirm her age

along with other biological data.

The average lifespan is about ten years in the wild,

but at her size, I would guess she's much older.

Snakes this size are becoming increasingly rare.

And understanding the conditions that allow

them to grow so large will aid Juliana's efforts to conserve them.

This is absolutely remarkable.

I mean, a truly giant anaconda that we have had the privilege of catching.

So, let's do the best we can to get a weight.

We've got a giant bag to weigh her,

but she doesn't even come close to fitting in it.

Let's lift from the straps. She's very heavy.

Here we go.

[all] One, two, three.

[grunting]

[Jessica] All right, guys, 220, 228.

Two... Ten...

-We didn't even get her whole body off the ground. -All right.

[Forrest] So, let's say she's about a 300-pound snake.

It's gonna take everybody to hold her at length.

Look at the size of this animal.

Easily 300 pounds and, if you guys can hold her,

I'll take this off her head and we'll let her go.

Everybody ready?

Okay, we're gonna stretch her out this way.

Okay, here we go. We're gonna let her go.

Off you go. Go on.

Here she goes.

Look at that incredible animal!

Whoo!

Whoo!

[laughing]

We came here to look for a giant snake.

We came here to see if the legends were true.

And while she's not 40-foot,

that 20-foot animal in the water, in our hands,

that muscle, that incredible physique,

that unbelievable raw power, to me, is legendary.

There is nothing more magnificent,

there is nothing more impressive than an animal of that size.

This giant anaconda will continue to grow here

in this pristine habitat.

It's possible she could one day reach the size

we've only heard about in legends

like Sinhozinho and his three crosses.

An ancient animal. A true dinosaur.

And we caught her.

We did exactly what we came here for.

[Jessica] What was the safe word we had as a team?

-I don't even know. -[man] Cupcake!

Cupcake. Didn't even know that.

Didn't even know the safe word.

-That's good to know. -[all laughing]

[Forrest] Good job everybody.

[Juliana] Good job. Good job, guys.

[both laughing]

[indistinct chatter]

That was amazing.