Face-to-face with his greatest fear: Moment host of River Monsters encountered 200 lbs, 20-foot long Amazon anaconda that had already crushed a man to death

• River Monsters host Jeremy Wade came up close and personal to a 200-pound anaconda in the latest edition of his hit television show
• Revealed meeting an anaconda in its natural habitat is his greatest fear
• The snake the adventurer encountered is believed to be responsible for the deaths of at least one man in Porto de Moz in the Brazilian rainforest

By James Nye

River Monster's intrepid host Jeremy Wade faced down his greatest fear when he came face-to-face with a deadly 200 pound anaconda on the latest edition of his hit show, River Monsters.

The British adventurer was followed by the crew of the Animal Planet smash as he navigated the Amazon River in Brazil, searching for the culprit in a series of recent, bone-crushing human deaths in Porto de Moz, in the deepest rainforest.

The dramatic encounter, which aired on Monday night, put Wade, 58, into the murky waters of the mammoth river, where he literally stumbled upon a slumbering snake he estimated to be at least 20-feet long.

Beast: This is the anaconda that Jeremy Wade encountered in the Amazon during the latest episode of his hit series, River Monsters - he estimated it to be 200 pounds

Kitted out in scuba diving gear, Wade, who has helmed six seasons of River Monsters, audibly gulped before he exclaimed, 'Look at the size of this! I've stumbled into a potential man-eater.'

He had made his way to Brazil to try and figure out what particular river monster had killed a man whose body was found dead with huge bruises on his neck and torso and with numerous crushed bones in his body.

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During the course of his investigation he also found that other people in the vicinity of Porto de Moz, almost 1,500 miles from Rio de Janerio, had gone missing in the water's surrounding the town.

When he came face-to-face with the beast, Wade was left with the conclusion that he had in fact found the likely culprit for the death and disappearances.

Huge: Jeremy Wade can be seen approaching the huge snake in the river just off Porto de Moz, in the Brazilian rainforest

Reach out to touch: Jeremy Wade conquers his fear to such an extent that he reaches out to the huge semi-aquatic snake

Anaconda's in the Amazon can grow to 22-feet long and the non-venomous species is the largest snake native to the Americas.

Reports of anacondas 35–40 feet or even longer also exist and there is currently a $50,000 cash reward currently on offer for anyone who can produce a specimen more than 30-feet long.

While rare, fatal instances involving anaconda's and people have been recorded across the Amazon basin.

Wade hosts Animal Planet's "River Monsters," the network's most popular series, where he goes around the world to find ugly and often legendary creatures that lurk in murky waters.

Intrepid: Jeremy Wade has fronted six series of River Monsters and the British explorer is preparing for the seventh

Killer: This man was found crushed to death with huge bruising across his body near to Porto de Moz - believed to have been caused by the snake that Wade encountered

Deadly: The anaconda has a fearsome reputation across the Amazon and is believed to have even been responsible for human deaths

The British Wade was an avid fisherman as a boy and was on the lookout for more adventure. He wrote an article on his six-year search for the arapaima, the largest freshwater fish in South America, that caught the eye of a television producer.

He began working for Discovery in England, attracting the attention of Animal Planet.

A special Wade did for Animal Planet attracted so much attention, it was expanded into the series.

About half the viewers are people who fish, Wade said. Many are attracted to the idea of seeing creatures they have never even heard of. Many of the fish, because they are from fresh water, are particularly ugly, he said.

Wade, when he catches the object of a show's search, always releases it back to the wild.

He urges people who are near some of the waters featured on "River Monsters" not to be frightened, but to be aware of what fish might be near them and understand their behavior.