A viral video circulating across social media platforms claims to show real footage of a massive anaconda swimming in the Amazon River. Many users have reposted the clip with captions suggesting that the snake in the video is an actual anaconda filmed in its natural habitat.
Social Media Posts
The video has gained traction on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X, where users have shared it alongside claims that it captures a rare sighting of an anaconda gliding through the Amazon River. The snake appears to move fluidly across the water surface, prompting thousands of shares and reactions.
Fact Check
Upon close inspection of the viral video, visual inspection of the footage revealed several telltale signs of manipulation. Between timestamps 0:07 and 0:09, a visual error occurs where two snake heads appear simultaneously before one vanishes at 0:10. This duplication error indicates digital manipulation rather than authentic wildlife footage.
To further verify the authenticity, we analyzed the video using AI detection tools such as AI or Not and Hive Moderation, both of which indicated that the footage is highly likely to be AI-generated. These tools assess visual patterns commonly found in synthetic media, and both produced consistent results suggesting non-authentic origin.
In addition to technical anomalies, biological inaccuracies also raise red flags. Green anacondas (Eunectes murinus) are powerful swimmers and among the most aquatic of all snake species, but they do not float high on the water surface as depicted in the video. Instead, they tend to remain mostly submerged, with only their eyes and nostrils above water to aid in stealth hunting. According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, anacondas rely on buoyancy and water pressure for ambush and constriction, moving with lateral undulation just beneath the surface. (Source)
Real footage from Discovery UK shows how anacondas actually move in water, they stay almost completely underwater, slowly gliding near the bottom of rivers. This is very different from the viral video, where the snake floats unrealistically high on the water’s surface with exaggerated movements, further reinforcing the conclusion that the viral clip is not authentic.
Conclusion
The viral video claiming to depict a real anaconda swimming in the Amazon River is edited. AI detection tools have flagged the footage as likely AI-generated, and visible inconsistencies, such as duplicate heads and unrealistic behavior, further support this conclusion. Anacondas do not float prominently on the water surface as shown in the clip.
