"Why is it in SA?": Green Anaconda Strikes Bakkie on South African Dirt Road in Video, Mzansi Reacts
- Slangboere, a South African snake-catching page, shared footage of a green anaconda striking a bakkie on a rural dirt road
- The anaconda, the heaviest snake in the world by body mass, lunged at the vehicle after it drove past
- South Africans flooded the comments with shock and disbelief at spotting the species locally
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Source: Facebook
A video shared by South African snake catchers Slangboere sent shockwaves through social media after it captured a green anaconda striking a bakkie travelling along a rural dirt road.
The clip, posted on 30 September 2026, was filmed in a dashcam-style format from inside a moving vehicle following a pickup truck. As the bakkie passed the massive snake coiled beside the road, the anaconda launched itself at the vehicle with striking speed.
Slangboere were quick to address the obvious questions. The snake is a green anaconda, the same species featured in the thriller film Anaconda, and they were emphatic that the footage is not AI-generated.
Why the anaconda struck the bakkie
The behaviour, while startling, has a straightforward explanation. The green anaconda does not perceive a car as a car. To the snake, anything larger than itself registers as a threat or predator. Slangboere drew a comparison to South Africa's own large snakes, noting that a local species would react in exactly the same way if a vehicle passed that close.
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The green anaconda is recognised as the heaviest snake in the world by body mass, with extraordinarily powerful muscles built for constricting large prey.
As for why a green anaconda appeared on a South African rural road at all, Slangboere did not specify the location in the video, and the species is not indigenous to the country.
View the Facebook video below:
Mzansi reacts to the anaconda footage
South Africans in the comments on the page could not quite believe what they were seeing:
Max Mkhathini asked:
"When did it turn around?"
Tony Van Der Helm said:
"An escapee from AI."
Angie Inman wondered:
"Why is a green anaconda in SA? Someone's escaped pet perhaps?"
Luther Jantjies noted:
"Anybody spot the road that looks like a giraffe?"
Delmond Dale Dirks joked:
"Video the cameraman on his bicycle pull off that stunt."
More Briefly News stories on snakes
- An Australian snake catcher discovered multiple snakes hiding in a Gold Coast ceiling during a surprising spring removal.
- A black mamba draped over a rural South African water tank shocked Facebook viewers and prompted fearful and humorous reactions.
- A Limpopo snake catcher calmly removed a black mamba from a lodge storage area, leaving viewers stunned by his handling of the snake.
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Source: Briefly News
