Reptile expert told to ‘keep mouth shut’ about massive anaconda on the loose in New Jersey

Anaconda - Photo by Daniel10ortegaven

A reptile expert said Friday that he wants to go “on the record” and confirm that New Jersey authorities are searching for an anaconda, not a boa constrictor, in the state’s largest lake.

“I was sworn to keep my mouth shut by local officials to avoid causing a panic,” Gerald Andrejcak, the specialist, told NJ.com. “Now that there’s a panic, I’m going on the record.”

He said when the snake was called a boa, it wasn’t exactly a lie, because the snakes are technically in the same family. However, anacondas, made famous by the 1997 movie starring Jennifer Lopez, can send chills through a community because their diet consists of deer and other large mammals. They also have no natural predators.

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