How recent is the divergence among the four recognized species within the *Eunectes* genus?
Answer
Potentially within the last few million years
While the initial divergence of the anaconda lineage from pythons and other boas happened deep in geological time (about 12 MYA), the process that refined the lineage into the four currently recognized species of the *Eunectes* genus is comparatively recent. Researchers estimate that the splits defining *E. notaeus* and its close relatives likely occurred within the last few million years. This recent diversification within a tightly related group of apex predators makes the genus an excellent natural system for studying speciation, particularly how habitat differentiation drives the formation of distinct, yet closely related, giant snake species.
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