Cops Free Anaconda That Got Trapped In Branches After Eating Huge Animal Whole

This is the moment a cop on a boat uses a spade to prod and free a giant anaconda from some riverside branches after it got trapped in them due to the huge animal it had just ingested.

Footage shows how an officer from Brazil's Environmental Military Police (PMA) uses the spade to free the five-metre- (16.4-foot-) anaconda from the branches along the Iguatemi River.

The incident took place on a stretch of the river in the municipality of Mundo Novo in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul on the afternoon of Monday, 2nd November.

The footage shows how the anaconda has a huge bulge in its stomach after having just consumed an unfortunate large animal.

It is believed the big snake got trapped in the riverside branches due to its fat belly after gorging on its prey.

The PMA said a branch had to be cut to release the reptile. However, once freed, it was unable to go underwater thanks its large lunch keeping it afloat.

The officers said they found the anaconda by chance when they were patrolling the area for illegal overfishing.

It is not clear what animal the anaconda had eaten, but in a similar case from September, an anaconda was found to have ingested a whole capybara, the largest living rodent.

It is not clear which of the four species of anaconda is seen in the latest video. However, from the reptile's appearance, it looks to be a green anaconda (Eunectes murinus).

The green anaconda is the heaviest and among the longest known extant snake species. It can weigh up to 154 lbs and reach 17.1 feet in length.

PMMS/NF/William McGee