Overview
- National Geographic’s Pole to Pole with Will Smith premiered January 13, with episodes streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
- Newly released footage shows Will Smith assisting toxicologist Bryan Fry and Waorani guides as a single belly scale is collected from a giant anaconda for research.
- Genetic analysis of 2022 samples led scientists to recognize the northern green anaconda, Eunectes akayama, as distinct from the southern species, with an estimated split about 10 million years ago.
- Reporting cited roughly a 5.5% genetic difference and mapped the northern species across the basin’s upper reaches, including parts of Venezuela, Colombia, Suriname, French Guiana and northern Brazil.
- Toxicology tests found male anacondas carrying far higher concentrations of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, signaling bioaccumulation with risks for wildlife and communities reliant on river resources.