According to legends and foreign cinema anaconda- an incredibly huge and dangerous snake. Surprisingly, it is not uncommon to hear from people about the size of an anaconda that is two to three times its true size. These, of course, are all fairy tales and fictions, once presented as official data. Everything is much more modest, the anaconda is indeed the largest snake, but only statistically. She is also quite calm and is not interested in such large prey as humans.
Origin of the species and description
Anacondas belong to the subfamily of boa constrictors of the pseudopod family, order Scaly, class reptiles. Experts are increasingly inclined to believe that the common anaconda has no subspecies. According to other sources, there are still four varieties of anaconda, each of which is slightly different in size, color and habitat.
- Giant anaconda;
- Paraguayan;
- Deschauerskaya;
- Anaconda Eunectes beniensis.
Anaconda, like boas, has a small head, but the body is somewhat more massive and even looks disproportionate. The length of the snake can reach 5 - 6 meters, but not 9 - 11 or 20, as mentioned in some sources. The maximum weight is supposedly 130 kg, but in most cases it is even far from a hundred.
These snakes are considered potentially dangerous to humans because they are capable of swallowing a victim almost equal in weight to themselves. If a snake weighs about a hundred, then swallowing a person and digesting him will not be difficult. But still he is large and smart for a snake, and all known cases of attacks on humans indicate that this happened by mistake.
Appearance and features
The anaconda is the largest snake, and in length it is inferior to the reticulated python, but in weight it is the largest. It is interesting to note that the females of these snakes are larger than the males. The maximum measured length of the anaconda was 5.4 meters, with a weight of 100 kg. But in nature there are probably slightly larger individuals. According to experts, anacondas can reach a length of 6.7 meters and a weight of 130 kg.
The average length of a snake is 3 - 4 meters, and its weight is 50 - 70 kg. The diameter of the reptile reaches 35 cm; after swallowing the victim, it stretches to the desired size. Snakes grow throughout their lives, the first years are much more intense than after, but we can confidently assume that the largest individuals are of considerable age.
Video: Anaconda
The head is small compared to the body, but the open mouth is huge and can stretch, like the pharynx. This allows the anaconda to pay less attention to the size of the prey. The teeth are short, they can bite painfully. But there are no fangs; they would only get in the way when swallowing a victim. Saliva is harmless and there are no poisonous glands. The wound will be painful, but not life-threatening.
The color of the anaconda camouflages it against the background of its habitat. These are reservoirs, shallow waters, tropics. The body color is close to marsh, gray-green. There are two rows of dark, brown, brown spots along the back. They are round or oblong, up to 10 cm in diameter, solid in color, alternating in a checkerboard pattern. And on the sides there are lighter stripes completely strewn with small spots. Sometimes the spots are hollow, like rings, or uneven circles. The diameter of these is from 1 to 3 cm. The back of the snake is often darker than the belly.
Where does the anaconda live?
The anaconda's habitat is almost the entire continent - South America, except for its southern part. Of course, the climate at all latitudes is not suitable for snake habitat, since the continent has a very long stretch from north to south. To the east of the Andes, the anaconda's habitat is in countries such as Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, and French Guiana. The island of Trinidad stands out separately.
If we look at subspecies, the giant anaconda lives throughout the tropics. Paraguayan respectively in Paraguay, as well as Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and northern Bolivia. Deschauerskaya was seen only in the north of Brazil. And the subspecies Eunectes beniensis lives only in the tropics of Bolivia.
Anacondas prefer swamps, enclosed bodies of water or calm, wide rivers. Snakes do not like strong currents; to match their character, they prefer calm. They can swim and stay under water for a long time. The structure of the nostrils includes special valves to block the flow of moisture into the respiratory tract.
Anacondas can dry out on the shore or trees in the open sun, but they need moisture, they make sure to be near a body of water. The rough surface of the belly in the form of scales helps them move on land. The powerful muscular body uses the friction of the outer covering and, thus, bending in every possible way, moves quickly.
If water bodies dry up, the snake cannot exist normally. To survive difficult times, she buries herself in the bottom of a former swamp, in silt and slush, and can become numb until better times.
What does an anaconda eat?
Thanks to the complex structure of the jaws and pharynx, equipped with elastic ligaments, the anaconda is able to swallow prey larger than itself. However, this is not always easy, and prey of such dimensions will not go into your mouth on its own. It happens the other way around - when trying to attack, for example, she herself becomes the victim. But the fact remains a fact.
Nevertheless, the basis of the anaconda’s diet consists of smaller living creatures, namely:
- small mammals (capybaras, agouti, even sheep and dogs near the territory Agriculture may become its prey);
- reptiles (frogs, iguanas, lizards);
- turtles;
- waterfowl;
- their own kind (pythons, and even anacondas themselves are smaller in size);
- fish on rare occasions.
The hunt goes as follows: the anaconda lurks in the water and watches the potential victim. Her eyes do not blink, which is why people interpret her gaze as a process of hypnosis. At the right moment, the anaconda attacks the victim with its whole body at once, without even using its teeth. Its body compresses the animal's chest, preventing it from breathing, and can also break its bones.
Then she simply swallows her prey whole and digests it. Now she no longer needs to worry about her food for the week, or even months in advance. She will gradually become saturated and receive nutrients, slowly digesting the contents of the stomach in a passive lying position. Stomach acids are so strong that even bones are digested. Next time the anaconda will not want to dine soon.
Having such a powerful body, they absolutely do not need poison, because they are always able to crush a victim comparable to themselves and without fatal bites. Cases of cannibalism are also common among anacondas.
Features of character and lifestyle
The character of anacondas is very apathetic. They can lie for hours without moving at all. Sometimes it seems that they are not alive at all. Probably in wildlife this is exactly what the calculation was made for, the anaconda merges with environment and no one touches her. Like all snakes, anacondas periodically undergo molting. Then they need to make auxiliary body movements. They curl and rub against the bottom and rocks in the pond. The peel peels off entirely, is removed like a stocking and remains in the water. The renewed snake continues its life in a new skin.
Anacondas cannot exist without moisture. Of course, it happens that they come out to lie in the sun or curl around a tree trunk, but soon they calmly return to their familiar environment. If snakes see that their pond is drying up, then they look for another one. They often follow the current to greater depths of rivers. During periods of drought, anacondas bury themselves in mud, looking for a cooler place with more water. There they can go into torpor for months until the rains arrive and the rivers fill.
Anacondas are such quiet animals that if you don’t specifically look for them, you may not find them. This is probably why they were identified as a separate species only at the end of the 20th century. The only sound they make is a faint hiss. The lifespan of anacondas is not precisely known. They have been shown to have low survival rates in captivity. Terrariums can support the life of anacondas for 5 - 6 years. It is clear that in the natural habitat this period is longer, but it is not clear by how much.
For example, the record lifespan of an anaconda in captivity is 28 years. Again, it is unlikely that an individual can survive all natural disasters without consequences, and the average lifespan of this species is probably somewhere in the range of these data.
Social structure and reproduction
Anacondas lead a solitary lifestyle and do not communicate with each other. Moreover, they can attack and eat their relative if he is inferior to them in size. Only during the mating season do they begin to treat each other indifferently.
Males begin to pursue females. They are easy to find by the smelly trail they leave on purpose when they feel ready to mate. Often several applicants crawl after one female at once. The males begin to fight each other. They wrap around and squeeze the opponent, intertwining into a lump. Those who cannot withstand the pressure are soon removed. The advantage, as a rule, goes to larger males. The winner gets the opportunity to mate with the female.
The gestation period lasts about six months. During this time, the female hardly moves and does not eat anything. She loses a lot of weight, sometimes shrinks by half. Anacondas are ovoviviparous reptiles. The cubs hatch from eggs in the womb and crawl out as baby snakes, about half a meter long. There are 30 - 50 of these in one litter. Small snakes are ready for independent existence. A small part manages to survive. While they are small, they are very vulnerable to other animals and even other older anacondas.
Natural enemies of the anaconda
An adult anaconda has very few enemies among the animals living around it. Few can rival her in strength. Even crocodiles, not always attacking an anaconda, can defeat it. These creatures are more dangerous in childhood, when they are not yet so strong. They may be eaten first by older anacondas or pythons. And they can easily deal with them. But if an anaconda manages, despite all the difficulties of childhood life, to become an adult, few people will stop it from existing peacefully.
For adult anacondas, only people pose the greatest danger. Indian hunters kill them using various weapons. There are no failures. If a person wants to get a dead snake for himself, he will do it. They are hunted mainly for their meat. This dish is very popular in South America. It is eaten by both locals and visiting tourists. It is tender and sweetish in taste, many people really like it. Snake skin is also very valuable. It is used for fashionable clothing and accessories. Snake skin is used by designers in furniture finishing and for various types of decor.
Population and species status
Anacondas require such living conditions that humans rarely approach. It is very difficult to conduct expeditions in the jungle, to explore bodies of water and their contents. Therefore, it is problematic to estimate even approximately the number of anaconda individuals.
The extraction of anacondas for the zoo is always successful; the required number of individuals is always found. Hunting for anacondas by local residents does not stop and does not cause difficulties, therefore, their numbers are quite dense. Near agriculture, there are cases of anaconda attacks on livestock, which also indicates their stable abundance.
Of course, much is not written in the Red Book about anacondas; the conservation status states that “the threat has not been assessed.” Nevertheless, experts believe that this species is not under threat and has all the necessary conditions for comfortable existence and reproduction. That’s right - tropical forests, jungles and swamps are the least susceptible to human invasion, development, tourism development and environmental pollution. Therefore, factors that interfere with the normal life of anacondas will not reach these places so soon. Anaconda can live in peace, its population is not yet threatened.
Anaconda is a snake from a separate genus of anacondas, the subfamily of boas, the order of squamates, the class of reptiles.
Along with the python and the boa constrictor, the anaconda is one of the largest snakes in the world, measuring 5 to 6 meters in length and weighing about 100 kg. The largest currently known is about 9 meters long and weighs 130 kg.
The civilized world relatively recently learned about the existence of the anaconda - this viviparous snake that lives in the jungle South America.
Lifestyle and habitat
The anaconda lives in the remote, inaccessible jungles of the tropical part of South America in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, northeastern Peru, Ecuador and northern Bolivia, eastern Paraguay and Guyana, French Guiana and the island of Trinidad, and it has not been studied at all so long ago. People learned basic information about this large snake only in 1992, when biologist Jesus Rivas and a group of scientists studied the anaconda in its habitat, near Venezuela.
The anaconda's body is designed in such a way that, with a body thickness of 14-15 cm, it swallows quite large prey whole, and then its body stretches to the size of the animal it swallowed. The coloring of these snakes is varied and depends on the species. There are grayish-green ones, there are yellow ones, light brown ones and almost dark ones. The skin is scaly with rounded darker spots arranged in a checkerboard pattern. This coloring helps the anaconda to camouflage itself well among coastal plants and algae.
The anaconda is ideally adapted to life in water. Her long, powerful body, consisting only of muscles, writhing in the water like a powerful propeller, gives her the ability to swim quickly both on the surface of the water and in the depths. Moreover, when it swims, its eyes and nostrils remain on the surface like those of crocodiles, and when immersed in water, the nostrils are closed with special valves. Her eyes, covered with a transparent protective film, remain open under water, and she sees everything even in muddy water. The ability to slow down the heartbeat, while consuming less oxygen, allows her to stay under water for a long time.
The anaconda is a carnivorous predator and feeds only on animal food. Eats everything it comes across. These include wild animals: tapirs, peccaries, turtles, small crocodiles and waterfowl. It often attacks domestic animals coming to a watering hole: sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, geese, ducks and even dogs. It can hunt both in water and on land. In the water, the anaconda usually lies hidden, waits for the victim, and when it is close, it rushes at it. In other cases, having good hearing, an anaconda, while under water, can hear the sounds of animals coming to drink a hundred meters away, quietly swim up, and then rush at an unsuspecting animal with lightning speed. While on land, these cunning snakes can hide on the path leading to a watering hole, or position themselves on thick, low-lying tree branches and, when the animal approaches, rush at them.
The anaconda has no fangs or chewing teeth; it doesn’t need them. But a continuous row of teeth located almost at the same level works like a powerful vice. Once in such a vice, not a single creature will be able to escape. Holding its prey, the anaconda wraps its body around it in multiple rings and strangles it until the victim stops breathing. After this, the anaconda swallows the prey whole, wearing it like a stocking on a leg, stretching its mouth and throat. After this, the loaded anaconda looks for a secluded place and lies down for several days digesting food. One such serving of anaconda is enough for several weeks. After which she goes hunting again. These snakes do not take into account kinship; they can devour each other.
When the anaconda is well-fed, it loves to bask in the sun, exposing its round sides to it. By this, it kind of warms up the blood, because like all reptiles it is a cold-blooded creature. But it does not crawl far from the reservoir and soon plunges into the water. If a lake suddenly dries up during the dry season, she tries to find new reservoir or burrows into the mud and bottom silt, passing into a suspended state, in which it remains until the first rains.
The anaconda leads an isolated, solitary lifestyle, but during the mating season these snakes gather in groups to mate. Females are larger in size than males. Anaconda gives birth to live baby snakes. 7-8 months after the mating events, the female gives birth to up to forty or more small anacondas 50-80 cm long. Immediately after birth, the cubs are able to swim and get their own food. However, they often become prey for many animals and birds and quite a few survive.
Rarely does anyone decide to attack an adult anaconda, so among animals in nature the anaconda has practically no enemies. Who wants to fight with this big snake, which also has incredible strength? After all, the weight of a nine-meter anaconda can reach up to 200 kg! A snake of this size can easily handle a small cow. What can we say about a pig or a dog!
Having such an impressive size, the anaconda is able to move silently and remain unnoticed. In the places where it lives, residents of these areas show caution and attentiveness, believing that the anaconda can attack and kill. Cases of attack are very rare and fall into the exceptional category. As observations show, the anaconda, like all other snakes, sensing the approach of a person, hurries to move away in the other direction. The stories of some eyewitnesses about meeting them with anacondas with a body length of 12 meters or more can be considered an exaggeration. There are also fabulous stories about the hypnotic abilities of the anaconda, which supposedly hypnotizes its victim with its gaze.
The anaconda is still considered a little studied reptile. In many countries, for the purpose of study, they are kept in serpentariums, where they are under constant supervision. There are several cases of anacondas breeding in captivity. The lifespan of anacondas in natural conditions has not been established, but in terrariums they live up to 20 years.
Types of anaconda
There are currently four known species: Green, Yellow, Dark and Bolivian. They all lead a generally similar lifestyle, the differences being mainly in their size, color and habitats.
Green or giant anaconda, lat. Eunectes murinus. It is the largest of all. Its length can be more than 9 meters. It is especially common in the Amazon basin in Brazil, and in the vicinity of the Orinoco River in Colombia. Often found in the Llanos grasslands in Venezuela, Ecuador and Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia, Guiana and Peru. Green anacondas have been seen occasionally in Florida. The color of this anaconda is green-olive on the back, yellowish on the belly. There are dark, sometimes almost black spots on the back and sides. The scales of the skin are large in front, decreasing towards the tail.
Paraguayan or yellow anaconda, lat. Eunectes notaeus. Second in size after green. There are individuals reaching a length of 4.5 meters. They live in Paraguay, Northern Argentina, and are found in Bolivia. The yellow anaconda usually chooses places with high humidity: small lakes, swamps, overgrown banks of small rivers and streams. Often found in seasonally flooded areas. It feeds on fish, turtles, lizards, small caimans, and waterfowl. Sometimes he steals bird eggs. Paraguayan anaconda snake is a solitary snake. A pair is formed only in April - May. It is the object of intensive hunting because of its beautiful skin, which is used for haberdashery, as well as its meat, which is considered a delicacy.
Dark anaconda or Deschauensei's Anaconda, lat. Eunectes deschauenseei. It lives in the northern regions of Brazil, on the coast of French Guiana, and is found in Guyana. Relatively small in size compared to others. Usually its length is slightly less than 2 meters, but some individuals up to 4 meters or more have been encountered. It prefers to settle in hard-to-reach places, so it has been little studied.
Lat. Eunectes beniensis or Beni's anaconda is a medium-sized boa constrictor, usually about 4 meters in length. Lives in tropical forests in the Beni River valley in Bolivia. Anaconda Beni rare view, not common in other regions of South America, so it became known only in 2002. Scientists have not yet decided whether to consider it a separate species or classify it as a Paraguayan anaconda.
The anaconda, like all boas, is still a mysterious creature that people view negatively and consider it one of the most dangerous and unpredictable predators. Even the origin of its name is still controversial. It is believed that the name “anaconda” appeared in South America from the Tamil phrase “copra” - which means killer, and “yanei” - elephant. In other versions, this word is translated as lightning barrel and others. All these names came from the homeland of these snakes. The largest anaconda in the world, 11.43 m long, was caught in the wetlands of Colombia. On this moment lives at the New York Zoological Society green anaconda about 9 meters in length and weighing 130 kg.
Difference from boas and pythons
Despite the general external similarity, the anaconda differs from other types of boas and from pythons. All these snakes belong to the order Scaly, but the boa constrictor is a member of the pseudopod family, and the python is from the python family. All of them are non-poisonous and use one method of absorption of food, swallowing prey whole. Boa constrictors live primarily in Europe and Asia, although they are found in Madagascar, the Fiji Islands and New Guinea. There are about 60 species of them. This is what an emerald boa constrictor looks like.
Water boas live only in South America; these are all four types of anacondas listed above: green, Bolivian, Paraguayan and dark.
Pythons live in Asian countries, India, China and Indochina, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippine Islands. There are about 22 species in total. The largest of them is the reticulated python. The largest currently known in the Japanese Zoological Garden, its length is 12.2 m and its weight is more than 200 kg.
A significant difference between pythons and boas is reproduction. Boas give birth to live young, while pythons lay eggs, which then hatch into young. Both boas and pythons, like most reptiles, are slow creatures in normal conditions, but during a hunt they rush at the prey almost with lightning speed. They have developed night vision and a good sense of smell. In addition, they have the property of thermolocation, thanks to which they detect a living creature in the dark.
IN last years There are quite a lot of lovers of exotic animals that they keep at home. These also include pythons, boa constrictors and anacondas, which are kept in special terrariums. Although it is not uncommon for these huge snakes to break free and cause a lot of trouble. In some Asian countries, such as India, Thailand, Cambodia, local residents tame these huge snakes. They keep them in basements and provide them with food. Getting used to their owners and taking root in the house, these snakes protect the home from poisonous snakes, scorpions, phalanges, rats and other wild animals. A house that has its own python usually costs significantly more. Be that as it may, despite their negative characteristics and the generally negative attitude of people towards them, we have to admit that anacondas, as equals, occupy a certain place among other representatives of the flora of the earth.
Swiss diver Franco Banfi went to the Brazilian region of Mato Grasso to specifically photograph the famous anaconda, the largest snake in the world, in nature.
And he managed to take stunning photographs of the anaconda right in its natural habitat, underwater. Franco found a magnificent snake eight meters long and posing no threat to him, since this specimen had recently dined on a capybara.
Throughout the photo shoot, the anaconda only lazily glanced sideways at the 53-year-old diver and, according to the latter, he could easily have touched it with his hand, but still did not do so.
At the first moment it becomes scary, but then you get used to it and begin to truly respect this animal,” says Franco Banfi. “I have never been so close to an anaconda, but for me this large non-venomous snake is much safer than a small and poisonous creature.
Anaconda is the largest modern snake. Its average length is 5-6 meters, and specimens of 8-9 meters are often found. The reliably measured specimen, unique in size, had a length of 11.43 m (this specimen, however, could not be preserved).
Currently, the largest known giant anaconda is about 9 meters long and weighs about 130 kg, and is kept at the New York Zoological Society. The main color of the anaconda's body is grayish-green with two rows of large brown spots of round or oblong shape, alternating in a checkerboard pattern. On the sides of the body there is a row of smaller yellow spots surrounded by black rings. This coloring effectively camouflages the snake when it lurks in calm water covered with brown leaves and tufts of algae. Females are much larger and stronger than males.
The anaconda inhabits the entire tropical part of South America east of the Andes: Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, eastern Paraguay, northern Bolivia, northeastern Peru, Guyana, French Guiana, and the island of Trinidad. Due to the inaccessibility of the anaconda's habitats, it is difficult for scientists to estimate its numbers and monitor population dynamics. There are many anacondas in zoos around the world, but it is quite difficult for them to take root in captivity. The maximum lifespan of an anaconda in a terrarium is 28 years, but usually in captivity these snakes live 5-6 years.
The anaconda feeds on various mammals, lying in wait for them near the water. It catches tapirs, peccaries, agoutis, capybaras, etc. Cases have been described more than once when an anaconda even devoured a jaguar (obviously, only the largest anacondas can defeat this predator). The anaconda often eats waterfowl, small caimans, turtles, and snakes - at least in the zoo, an anaconda once strangled and ate a 2.5-meter python.
Anaconda belongs to the class Reptiles, family Pseudopods, subfamily Boa constrictors, genus Anaconda. Previously, this snake was called a water boa. Today, this name has disappeared because... For the first time, mention of the reptile is found in the book “Chronicles of Peru” and is dated 1553. Detailed description no snakes were made then. According to research results, it has been established that the anaconda is the largest snake in the world.
The main color is marsh, less often green. There are brown spots along the snake's body, which are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. They can be round or elongated, with an uneven border. There are small yellow spots on the sides, around which there are black rings. This coloring is good camouflage in areas where the anaconda lives. The reservoirs in which it lives grow a lot of algae with brown and yellowish leaves that hide the snake.
The anaconda's skeleton is divided into a body and a tail. There are up to 435 vertebrae in the animal's body. The ribs of the snake are mobile and therefore, when swallowing a victim, they are capable of spreading over long distances. The reptile's heart shifts so as not to be squeezed by prey. An anaconda that has eaten looks strange, with a large expansion in the middle. The diameter of the body in this place becomes significantly larger. Movement becomes difficult and speed drops.
The snake's skull has a movable joint. Its bones are connected by elastic ligaments that allow the anaconda to open its mouth wide to swallow prey.
The nostrils and eyes are located at the top of the head, which allows you to breathe and observe what is happening around, partially raising it above the water surface. An anaconda can guard its prey by staying underwater for a long time and remaining invisible. The reptile attacks unexpectedly. The snake's eyes are designed in such a way that it tracks the movement of prey, but cannot focus its gaze on it for a long time. If the object of the hunt remains motionless, the reptile loses sight of it.
The skin is dense and dry because the body does not have mucous glands on the surface. The skin scales are glossy. Shedding occurs once, the old skin is shed like a stocking.
Anaconda does not produce poison. When saliva gets into the wound, intoxication of the body does not occur. The damage caused by a snake's teeth is painful. Bites become inflamed and take a long time to heal, since pathogenic bacteria are present on the reptile’s teeth. The teeth themselves are long and thin, so they easily penetrate tissue. Such a lesion is especially dangerous in nature, when there is no opportunity to get medical help, because equatorial climate provokes the rapid development of inflammation.
Length
The length of the snake is 4-5 meters. Males are smaller than females. In length, reticulated pythons surpass anacondas, but not in weight. The weight of females reaches 70 kg, and the minimum weight of small males is 30 kg. The anaconda weighs more than the royal python, which is the longest snake.
Anaconda grows throughout its life. At first it is a rapid process, but later it slows down, but does not stop.
There is an opinion that the snake can be longer than 5 meters. The largest anaconda was an individual measuring 24 meters. However, these facts have not been confirmed. Existence giant anaconda, biologists question it. Officially, the largest anaconda in the world was caught in Venezuela - this is a female with a length of 5 meters 21 centimeters. Her weight was 97.5 kg. This is the largest specimen that was caught. Scientists suggest that in nature you can find a large specimen, more than a meter longer than the average - up to 6 m 70 cm.
Where do anacondas live?
The snake lives in South America, in its tropical part (jungle). You can meet the anaconda east of the Andes, in Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. It is also found in eastern Paraguay, northeastern Peru and northern Bolivia. Giant snakes discovered on the island of Trinidad.
It is difficult to estimate the number of snakes, since the world of the anaconda is inaccessible to humans. Because of this, there is no accurate data on what dynamics of population growth or decline this species has. Biologists are absolutely sure that at the moment the anaconda is not in danger of extinction.
In zoos, this giant species of snake is available in considerable numbers, despite a number of difficulties in providing the conditions necessary for the snake to live. The presence of such a reserve stock of individuals suggests that the animal cannot be on the path to extinction.
A swamp or river without a strong current is suitable for a snake. Reptiles remain in the selected body of water constantly. If it dries out, they move to a new place. During a drought, if the snake does not feel that there is water nearby, it buries itself in the mud and goes into a state of hibernation until the rains come. As soon as the water returns, the anaconda comes out of its torpor and returns to active life.
The snake spends most of its time in water. She briefly climbs onto the shore and driftwood to stay in the sun and accumulate heat. The anaconda is able to climb to the lower branches of large trees, on which it lies, basking in the sun.
The snake's molting takes place underwater. The reptile rubs against objects and gradually pulls off the old skin. This process was observed mainly in captivity, since observing anacondas in natural conditions is difficult.
What does it eat?
The snake is a predator. Its diet consists of mammals, birds and reptiles. In rare cases, the anaconda diversifies its diet with fish. The main prey a giant snake can catch is:
- agouti,
- iguanas,
- waterfowl.
Large individuals attack caimans, capybaras and peccaries. This large prey is rarely included in the snake's diet. A fight with a large prey is dangerous for the anaconda, so it does not strive for such a confrontation. It is difficult for a snake to devour such a victim.
Some individuals are capable of killing and eating other snakes. Zoos recorded a case in which a 2.5-meter-long python was eaten by an anaconda.
The reptile lies in ambush for a long time. When the prey comes close enough, the snake attacks it and, wrapping its body around it, strangles it. The anaconda does not break the bones of its victim, nor does it crush it. internal organs. The death of prey occurs from suffocation, since the snake does not allow the victim to breathe, squeezing the lung area.
The food is swallowed whole. By stretching its mouth and throat, the snake stretches over the victim like a stocking. There are cases when an anaconda, when swallowing a victim, receives serious injuries. Biologists are convinced that the snake does not know how to estimate the size of its prey and does not see the danger in eating a large object. Snakes that swallow an animal that has claws, horns, or hard cutting scales often die.
How does it reproduce?
The anaconda spends most of its life alone. When mating, reptiles form large groups. This moment comes at the beginning of the rainy period that the Amazon experiences in April and May. Females leave a special odorous trail, which males use to find them. There is an assumption that the snake leaves an attractive odor on the ground for a future partner and releases similar substances into the air, increasing the speed of their spread.
Often, during the mating period, several excited males crawl around one female, who remains calm. As a result, a ball of snakes is formed. At the moment of mating, a grinding sound is heard due to the special skin of snakes.
Gestation lasts 6-7 months. Due to the inability to eat properly, the female loses weight by 2 times. This does not affect her condition.
Anaconda is an ovoviviparous snake. The development of the offspring occurs in the body. Baby snakes are born fully formed. The total number of offspring is 30-40 baby snakes. Scientists believe that large females give birth to up to 100 cubs. The length of newborns is 50-80 cm.
In rare cases, an anaconda may not incubate eggs in the body, but lay them. This phenomenon is considered exceptional and is typical only for emaciated females who cannot tolerate the formation of baby snakes in the body.
Enemies
Due to their size and weight, adult females are rarely targeted by predators. Males are more likely to be attacked by jaguars, pumas and caimans. In isolated cases, giant otters attack young individuals. There have also been cases of cannibalism.
The main danger is people. Local tribes value the meat of the reptile, which has a sweetish taste and is nutritious. Hunting an anaconda is not considered dangerous because it is afraid of people and does not show strong aggression, trying to scare the attacker and hide. The snake skin is used to make crafts that are sold to tourists.
Lifespan
The lifespan of snakes has not been precisely established, since anacondas live shorter in terrariums than a wild representative of the species in its natural habitat. In captivity, the snake lives 5-6 years, while the officially registered life expectancy of an anaconda in nature lasts up to 28 years. Presumably, the reptile can live longer, but due to the paucity of data, such cases have not been recorded. How long the terrible representative of reptiles can exist is unknown.
Biologists distinguish several subspecies of anaconda: royal, giant and yellow. They have a similar lifestyle and diet. The main differences in their characteristics are color and size.
The anaconda is a unique snake. This tropical, non-poisonous species is capable of reaching gigantic sizes. The snake study continues. Nature continues to surprise people with the characteristics of its inhabitants.
The impenetrable jungles of South America, through which the deepest river in the world flows - the Amazon. Its waters hide many different animals from people's eyes, but the most impressive of them is the giant anaconda!
This representative of large aquatic boas chooses to live in quiet tributaries and wetlands of the Amazon jungle and its neighbor Orinoco. The greenish-yellow color with brown spots reliably hides the snake in dark water among plants and foliage.
And the water itself allows you to be fast and agile, because a giant snake in adulthood can reach a length of 6 meters and weigh 150 kilograms. However, this is far from the limit. Scientists have encountered anacondas twice this size.
Indians living in the jungle great river, christened giant snakes– sukuriju, which translates as “giant monster.” They prefer to stay away from areas where anacondas can be found. Although the opinion that the snake hunts people is not entirely true.
The main food of aquatic giants are other snakes, mammals and birds, which are abundant in the jungle and especially near the water. But in fairness, it is worth noting that attacks on people did take place.
The first encounters with anacondas were described by Spanish colonialists, noting that the snakes reached a length of up to 20 meters. One of the Amazon explorers, Colonel Percy Fawcett, said that he saw a 19-meter snake.
True, the girth of her body, according to the narrator, was only 30 centimeters, which raises some doubts about the reliability of the information. After all, caught anacondas 10 meters long had a girth of about 2 meters.
As further study of these aquatic boas has shown, a 30-centimeter girth usually corresponds to a snake “only” 6 meters long.
The testimony of priest Viktor Heinz, dated 1925, is more credible. The respected gentleman says that the snake he encountered was 20 meters long. But, according to the holy father, he indicated the dimensions of that part of the snake that was above the water.
The priest defined the giant’s girth as a “barrel”. Documentary evidence is not limited to these dimensions of snakes. So several French-Brazilian researchers discovered a 23-meter anaconda.
The snake was shot, which made it possible to take measurements of the monster. The documents indicate the dimensions of the boa constrictor's head. Its length was 50 centimeters, and at the neck 60 centimeters.
In addition to records, there are also photographs of giants. In 1948, in Pernambuco, Brazil, a newspaper published a photograph of a 40-meter-long anaconda. During the same period of time, another newspaper published a photo of a 35-meter snake. But scientists did not take these photographs seriously.
In our time, the anaconda, which was discovered in Colombia in 1944, is considered the record holder among aquatic boas, and its existence was duly documented. Its length reached 11 meters 43 centimeters. Since the fact of its existence was established, the anaconda took a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
In captivity, the largest anaconda lives in New York, in the terrarium of the Zoological Society. The 130-kilogram snake is 9 meters long.
However, the search for the largest anaconda does not stop. Those who want to catch the snake are attracted not only by the opportunity to write their name in history, but also by the $50,000 prize established in this country in the 1930s.
Nevertheless, before you go in search of the world's largest anaconda, it is worth keeping in mind that in order to receive a prize you must provide the body of a snake, that is, bring it from the wilds of the Amazon, and it is not difficult to imagine how much it can weigh, based on the dimensions indicated above.
