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Neat to know ~ Creature of the week
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The Green Anaconda
2020-11-28
– The green anaconda is the largest of four species of anaconda, and it is by weight the biggest of all snakes. The reticulated python, a relative of the anaconda, can be a bit longer, but because the green anaconda’s body has a huge diameter of sometimes more than 12 inches (30 cm), it can reach a weight double that of the python.
– This mammoth snake’s home is in the the teeming rainforests east of the Andes Mountains of South America. It lives in gentle streams and slow-moving rivers, as well as in the wetlands along waterways. Generally, it moves more easily in water than on land, where its massive bulk can be difficult to drag across dense underbrush.
– Green anacondas’ nostrils and eyes are on the tops of their heads. Thanks to this adaptation, they can keep their bodies submerged underwater for long periods of time, while maintaining their breathing and remaining aware of approaching prey.
Read on to learn more about this behemoth of the South American rainforest.
So how big are they?
- Green anacondas, also known as giant anacondas, can frequently reach a weight of 550 pounds (about 250 kg), but much larger individuals weighing double this have been spotted in the wild.
- On average, green anacondas are about 17 feet (5 meters) long. The biggest of the species observed in the wild measured over 30 feet (9 meters) from head to tail. That’s nearly as long as a school bus!
- Creatures of this size need good camouflage in order to stay hidden in their habitats. The green anaconda’s dark olive-green skin with black spots lets it move virtually unseen through the forest and in water. Its underside is covered with a yellow and black pattern that is different on every snake. Think of it as an anaconda’s fingerprint.
A deadly embrace
- Green anacondas do not have a venomous bite. Instead, they kill their prey by wrapping around it and squeezing until the prey either stops breathing or, if in the water, drowns. These snakes can sense when their prey’s heartbeat stops, and at that point, they start eating their meal.
- Because they are so big, green anacondas have to eat a lot. They eat birds and turtles, but can also conquer large prey like deer, capybara, wild boars, and even jaguars. They use an ambush tactic to tackle their prey. A green anaconda can lie in wait almost unseen in a river, with just its nostrils and eyes barely visible above the water’s surface. In a flash, this massive predator can capture and entwine itself around a passer-by, using its powerful body to hold its prey and squeezing it to death. Once the prey is dead, the anaconda eats it whole. It opens its mouth wide and slowly starts consuming the animal. Its jaw is attached by flexible ligaments that can stretch to accommodate the large meal. In addition, it has two rows of teeth that point backwards. These are movable and allow the snake to stretch its mouth and bite into its prey from different angles.
- When a green anaconda eats a large animal, its mouth fits tightly around its meal. This could mean not getting enough air to breathe properly. So, the anaconda has another unusual characteristic: a windpipe that can be moved to peak out of the snake’s mouth like a snorkel. This adaptation allows it to get enough air while devouring its prey.
- It can take hours for a green anaconda to consume its meal. And then, for more than a week, the snake will be digesting it! A large meal allows the anaconda to go weeks or even months without eating.
Ready on day one
- The next generation of green anacondas develops inside eggs that remain in the mother anaconda for about 8 to 12 weeks. These eggs actually hatch inside the mother, who gives birth to 20-40 baby snakes. These are usually between 2 and 3 feet in length (60-90 cm). They start to swim and demonstrate the instinct to hunt almost immediately after birth. In order to reach their eventual huge size, they must grow quickly until they reach full maturity at age 3 or 4.
- Green anacondas, who lead mostly solitary lives, live to about ten years of age in the wild.
Top of the heap
- Because of their size, green anacondas face few predators in the wild.
- Only humans pose a threat. While not yet endangered, these amazing snakes are hunted at a rate that if not kept in check, will put the green anaconda on the endangered species list. Their skins are sold on the illegal market. Incredibly, they are also sometimes captured and sold as pets.
- Another threat to their longevity in the wild is habitat destruction. Their forest homes in the northern lands of South America (including Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, and parts of Peru and Bolivia) are being cut and burned down at a high rate. The green anaconda has no other home, so once the rainforest is gone, so is this extraordinary reptile.
Sources: Palermo, Elizabeth, Live Science, “Meet the World’s Biggest Snakes,” https://www.livescience.com/biggest-snakes, February 26, 2013; National Geographic, “Green Anaconda,” https://www.nationalgeographic.com/green-anaconda/; Smithsonian National Zoo, “Green Anaconda,” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/green-anaconda.