Reports of giant anacondas date back as far as the discovery of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 when sightings of anaconda

Anaconda

An anaconda is a large, non-venomous snake found in tropical South America. Although the name actually applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to refer only to one species in particular, the common or green anaconda, Eunectes murinus, which is one of the largest snakes in the world.Anaconda...

s upwards of 50 meters (150 feet) began to circulate amongst colonists and the topic has been a subject of debate ever since among cryptozoologists

Cryptozoology

Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...

 and zoologists.

Anacondas can grow to sizes of 6 metres (19.7 ft) and beyond, and 150 kilograms (23 stone or approx, 330 lbs.) in weight. Although some python species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 can grow longer, the anaconda, particularly the Green Anaconda, is the second heaviest and largest in terms of diameter of all snakes, and it is the second biggest extant snake in the world right behind the Reticulated Python. . The lengthiest reputably-measured and confirmed anacondas are about 7.5 meters (25 feet) long. Lengths of 50-60 feet have been reported for this species but such extremes lack verification and too add lack of large prey to support a super-large snake. The two only real reliable claims that can be found describe measured anacondas ranging from 26-32 feet although these remain unverified.

History

The first recorded sightings of giant anacondas were from the time of the discovery of South America, when early Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an explorers entered the dense jungles there and claimed to have seen giant snakes measuring up to 18 metres (59.1 ft) long. Natives also reported seeing anacondas upwards of 10.5 metres (34.4 ft) to 18 metres (59.1 ft). Anacondas above 7 metres (23 ft) in length are rare; the Wildlife Conservation Society

Wildlife Conservation Society

The Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society and currently manages some of wild places around the world, with over 500 field conservation projects in 60 countries, and 200 scientists on staff...

 has, since the early 20th century, offered a large cash reward (currently worth US$50,000) for live delivery of any snake of 9 metres (29.5 ft) or more in length, but the prize has never been claimed despite the numerous sightings of giant anacondas. In a survey of 780 wild anacondas in Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, the largest captured was 5 metres (16.4 ft) long, far short of the length required.
A specimen measured in 1944 exceeded this size when a petroleum

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 expedition in Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

 claimed to have measured an anaconda which was 11.4 metres (37.4 ft) in length, but its claim has never been proven. Scientist Vincent Roth also claimed to have shot and killed a 10.3 metres (33.8 ft) specimen, but like most other claims it lacks sound evidence. Another claim of an extraordinarily large anaconda was made by adventurer Percy Fawcett

Percy Fawcett

Lt. Colonel Percival Harrison Fawcett was a British artillery officer, archaeologist and South American explorer....

. During his 1906 expedition, Fawcett wrote that he had shot an anaconda that measured some 19 metres (62.3 ft) from nose to tail. Once published, Fawcett’s account was widely ridiculed. Decades later, Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans

Bernard Heuvelmans

Bernard Heuvelmans was a Belgian-French scientist, explorer, researcher, and a writer probably best known as "the father of cryptozoology"...

 came to Fawcett's defence, arguing that Fawcett's writing was generally honest and reliable.

Historian Mike Dash

Mike Dash

Mike Dash is a Welsh writer, historian and researcher. He is best known for his books and articles looking at unusual historical events, anomalous phenomena, and strange beliefs.-Biography:...

 writes of claims of still larger anacondas, alleged to be as long as 45 metres (147.6 ft), with some of the sightings supported with photos (although those photos lack scale). Dash notes that if reports of a 18 metres (59.1 ft) anaconda strains credulity, then a 120 feet (36.6 m) long specimen is generally regarded as an outright impossibility.

In fiction

Perhaps the most well-known and defining portrayal of giant anaconda in popular fiction is the 1997 film Anaconda

Anaconda (film)

Anaconda is a 1997, adventure-horror film, directed by Luis Llosa, starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Owen Wilson, and Eric Stoltz. It centers around a film crew for National Geographic who are kidnapped by a hunter who is going after the world's largest giant anaconda, which is...

, which featured a giant anaconda hunting and killing several crew members from National Geographic, and its sequel Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid is a 2004 horror-thriller film and sequel to the 1997 film Anaconda. It was directed by Dwight H. Little and was released in the United States on August 27, 2004. The plot of the movie entails a group of explorers looking for a sacred flower that they...

. Another two sequels, Anaconda 3: Offspring and Anacondas: Trail of Blood

Anacondas: Trail of Blood

Anacondas: Trail of Blood, also known as Anaconda 4:Trail of Blood, is a 2009 made-for-television horror film and sequel to Anaconda 3: Offspring. Written by David C. Olson and directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy, it is the fourth and last film in the Anaconda series and picks up where the third film ended...

, were produced as made-for-television movies in 2008.

In documentaries

It was featured in an episode of Lost Tapes

Lost Tapes

Lost Tapes is an American horror/thriller docudrama television series that airs on Animal Planet. Produced by Go Go Luckey Entertainment, the program presents fictional found footage depicting traumatic encounters with cryptozoological creatures , including the Chupacabra and Bigfoot, and even...

 called "Megaconda". This term was continually used in the official website. During an expedition in the Peruvian Amazon

Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...

in 2009, a Belfast father and his son claim to have captured a giant Anaconda on camera.