This is the moment a 16-foot anaconda ‘crosses the road’ in front of stunned motorists who film the enormous reptile.
Accountant Tailan Vieira Barros, 31, was travelling on the BR-174 highway between the areas of Vista Alegre and Bacabal in the northern Brazilian state of Roraima when he came across the huge snake.
He said he was visiting a client in the municipality of Rorainopolis when he came across something in the road that he first thought was a blown tyre.
As soon as he realised it was an anaconda, his main concern was to prevent the animal from being run over by a passing motorist.
He told local media: “At first, I thought it was a blown tyre but then I saw it shimmering and I thought ‘that’s not possible’.
“I saw that it was not just a snake, but that it was alive and not even half its body was in the road.”
In the footage, Tailan is seen filming the anaconda as it is about halfway across the road.
At one point, another road user appears and also stops to film the enormous reptile crossing the road.
The second video shows the pair helping the slow-moving snake into the overgrowth so none of its tail remains in the road.
Tailan said he was not scared by the reptile’s size, but was excited to see it. After helping it to safety, he carried on with his road journey as the snake went into overgrowth.
Ecologist and researcher Whaldener Endo of the Federal University of Roraima (UFRR) said anacondas are not venomous, but their bite can cause injury or infection and their body strength can pose a serious threat.
