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Anaconda photos are the largest. Characteristics, description and lifestyle of the anaconda

The largest snake on the planet - anaconda, which refers to boa constrictors. Haven't met yet the snake is bigger than an anaconda. The average weight fluctuates around 100 kg, while the length reaches 6 meters or more. Some experts claim that 11 meters is not the limit for such an aquatic beauty.

True, such the length of an anaconda snake has not yet been scientifically documented. So far we have only been able to meet and conclusively note an anaconda, whose length was 9 meters; this, of course, is not 11 meters, but even such a snake’s size makes you shudder. By the way, female snakes are much larger and stronger than males.

Why "water beauty"? Because the anaconda has another name - water boa. It is in water, in shallow water, that it is easiest for her to catch prey and remain unnoticed. And nature took care of the anaconda’s secrecy. The skin color of this snake is gray-green; there are brown spots along the back that run in a checkerboard pattern.

The spots do not have a strictly defined shape; nature does not like geometry, and with such an “incorrect” color the snake has every chance of remaining unnoticed. In order to further blend in with the water, covered with fallen leaves, there are small yellowish spots with dark edging on the sides of the body.

Skin coloration is unique for each individual, so it is impossible to find two completely identical anacondas. Since the anaconda is a boa constrictor, it is endowed with great strength. It has no poison, in this regard it is harmless, but woe to anyone who treats it lightly - even a small deer can become prey.

This reptile is endowed not only with strength, but also with intelligence and even cunning. Animals and some people mistake its protruding, forked tongue for a dangerous organ, believing that it is with its help that harm will be caused. fatal bite. But this is how the snake simply navigates in space. The tongue recognizes the chemical component environment and sends a command to the brain.

Anaconda prefers to lead an aquatic lifestyle. In water she has no enemies, and on land no one dares to mess with it dangerous predator. She also molts there. is a cold-blooded creature, therefore, if there is not enough warmth, it prefers to crawl ashore and bask in the sun, although it does not crawl far from the water.

If the reservoir dries up, the anaconda has to find another one, but when drought overtakes all reservoirs, this one buries itself in the silt and falls into a state of torpor, the only way it manages to survive until the new rainy season.

Anaconda habitat

Anaconda lives throughout the tropical South. They are quite comfortable in canals, rivers, lakes, they settled in the Amazon and Orinoco, and live on the island of Trinidad.

Savannah Llanos (Central Venezuela) turned out to be a snake paradise - the six-month rainy period creates an ideal place for anacondas to live and breed, which is why there are much more anacondas in those places than anywhere else. Local lagoons and swamps are wonderfully warmed by the sun, which adds even more favorable conditions in that anaconda snake world.

Anaconda nutrition

The diet of this boa constrictor is varied. Anaconda eats all small animals that can be caught. They eat fish, small rodents, waterfowl, lizards and turtles.

The snake’s stomach perfectly processes all this with the help of strong acids; even the shell and bones of turtles are not something inedible. Of course, small prey is not a reason to use powerful rings of muscles, but eating large prey (and the anaconda does not disdain sheep, dogs, and small deer) is not a pleasant sight.

First, it lies in wait for its prey for a long time, hiding among the coastal thickets, then there is a sharp jerk and immediately rings are wound around the poor fellow, which compress the victim’s body with extraordinary force.

The anaconda does not break or crush bones, as other boas do; it compresses the prey so that oxygen cannot enter the lungs and the prey dies from suffocation. This snake has no fangs, so it does not tear or chew its food.

Starting from the head, the anaconda begins to swallow the victim. Its seemingly small mouth stretches to the size necessary for the passage of the carcass. At the same time, the pharynx also stretches. Available photo of anaconda, which shows how a snake swallows a small deer.

Although, according to experts, there is only a single case of an anaconda attacking a person, this snake has firmly established itself in the section of dangerous animals. By the way, anacondas are not averse to eating their fellow tribesmen. So, at the zoo, a 2.5 meter python was on her menu.

When swallowing a victim, the anaconda is most vulnerable. This is understandable - all her strength goes into pushing food inside, her head is busy, and she can escape with large piece it won’t work in the mouth with lightning speed. But after eating, the snake is “good-natured.” This is easy to explain - she needs time to calmly digest food.

Reproduction and lifespan

Life expectancy in wildlife Scientists have not definitely established it, but in captivity the anaconda does not live long, only 5-6 years. However, this indicator is also untrue, because there was a snake that lived in captivity for 28 years. Anaconda snake not the right size to live in a flock. Like other large predators, it lives and hunts alone.

However, in the spring (April - May), when the rainy season begins in the Amazon, these snakes gather in groups - mating time begins for anacondas. To ensure that the “groom” does not wander for too long in search, the “bride” leaves a trail on the ground, which during this period is generously flavored with an odorous substance - pheromone.

Following such a trail, the female is found not by one, but by several males at once. However, it is not customary for male anacondas to engage in fights for a beauty. Here, too, the strongest will become the father of the offspring, but wise snakes choose the most worthy differently.

All males who have found the female by smell wrap themselves around her body and begin love games, which last up to one and a half months. All this time, males cannot eat, hunt, or rest - courtship takes away all their time and strength. But after mating, the ball disintegrates by itself, and the “lovers” scatter in different directions.

The males go about their business, and the female begins a difficult period of gestation. Pregnancy lasts 6-7 months. All this time the female does not hunt or feed, because she is especially vulnerable during feeding. Therefore, the anaconda loses a lot of weight; for it, this condition is stressful.

But the offspring are still born safely. Between 30 and 42 baby snakes are born, all of them are live born. Although, the anaconda is also capable of laying eggs. The cubs are born only a little more than half a meter long, but must already worry about their own food.

After giving birth, the mother, who was in a hungry state for six months, goes hunting. Of course, anaconda mothers are far from the most tender; she does not feed them, does not protect them from predators, and does not provide them with a nest. Little snakes are already endowed with all the survival skills from birth. They are excellent swimmers, can skillfully camouflage themselves, and move deftly at the slightest danger.

And they have many dangers. In the animal world, everything is arranged naturally, if an adult anaconda practically has no enemies and eats caimans and small ones with impunity wild cats, then these same cats now hunt anaconda cubs.

Therefore, from the entire brood, only the most dexterous, fastest and strongest baby snakes remain alive, who turn into the strongest snakes on earth, the real enemy of which is only man.

International scientific name

Eunectes murinus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Taxonomy
on Wikispecies

Images
on Wikimedia Commons


ITIS
NCBI
EOL

Coming from the city of Antiocha to Cartagena, when we settled it, Captain Jorge Robledo and others discovered so many fish that we killed with sticks whatever we wanted to catch... In addition, there are very large snakes in the thickets. I want to tell and tell about something reliably known, although I have not seen it [myself], but many contemporaries have met who are trustworthy, and this is what it is: when, by order of the licentiate of St. Croix, Lieutenant Juan Creciano passed along this road in search of Licentiate Juan de Vadillo, leading with him several Spaniards, among whom were a certain Manuel de Peralta, Pedro de Barros, and Pedro Shimon, they came across a snake or snake, so large that it was 20 feet long, and very thick. His head is light red and his green eyes are terrifying, and since he saw them, he wanted to head towards them, but Pedro Shimon inflicted such a wound on him with a spear that even though he flew into [indescribable] rage, [still ] died. And they found in his belly a whole fawn [tapir?], as he was when he ate it; I will also say that some hungry Spaniards began to eat the deer and even part of the snake.

Cieza de Leon, Pedro. Chronicle of Peru. Part one. Chapter IX.

Appearance

Anaconda is the largest modern snake. Its average length is 5-6 meters, and specimens of 8-9 meters are often found. A unique specimen from eastern Colombia, unique in size and reliably measured, measured 11.43 m in length (this specimen, however, could not be preserved). Currently the largest known giant anaconda has a length of about 9 meters and weighs about 130 kg, it 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 yellow spots smaller, surrounded by black rings. This coloration effectively hides the snake when it is hiding in calm water, covered with brown leaves and tufts of algae.

Anaconda is not poisonous. Females are much larger and stronger than males.

Range and problem of conservation of the species

Due to the inaccessibility of the anaconda's habitats, it is difficult for scientists to estimate its numbers and monitor population dynamics. At least in the International Red Book, the conservation status of the anaconda is listed in the “threat has not been assessed” category ( English Not Evaluated, NE) - due to lack of data. But in general, apparently, the anaconda can still be considered out of danger. 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.

Lifestyle

Anaconda leads an almost entirely aquatic lifestyle. It lives in quiet, low-flowing river branches, backwaters, oxbow lakes and lakes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

In such reservoirs, the snake lies in wait for prey. She never crawls far from the water, although she often crawls out onto the shore and basks in the sun, sometimes climbing onto the lower branches of trees. The anaconda swims and dives well and can remain under water for a long time, while its nostrils are closed with special valves.

When a reservoir dries up, the anaconda crawls into another or goes downstream of the river. During the dry period, which occurs in some anaconda habitats, the snake buries itself in the bottom silt and falls into a stupor, in which it remains until the rains return.

Frequent cases of cannibalism have been reported among anacondas.

Most of the time, anacondas are solitary, but they gather in groups during mating season, which coincides with the onset of rains and occurs in April-May in the Amazon. During this period, males find females by following an odorous trail on the ground, guided by the smell of pheromones released by the female. It is believed that anacondas also release substances that attract a partner into the air, but this issue requires further research. During the mating period, you can observe how several very excited males scurry around one calmly lying female. Like many other snakes, anacondas form a ball of several intertwined individuals. When mating, the male wraps himself around the female’s body, using the rudiments of the hind limbs for traction (as all pseudopods do). During this ritual, a characteristic grinding sound is heard.

The female bears the offspring for 6-7 months. During pregnancy, she loses a lot of weight, often losing almost half her weight. Anaconda is ovoviviparous. The female brings from 28 to 42 baby snakes (apparently, their number can reach up to 100) 50-80 cm long, but can occasionally lay eggs.

An adult anaconda has practically no enemies in nature; occasionally, however, not very much large anacondas eats jaguar or large caimans. The young die en masse from a variety of predators.

Subspecies

Eunectes murinus murinus- type subspecies, found in the Amazon basin within Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
Eunectes murinus gigas- distributed in northern Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana and Trinidad and Tobago.

These two subspecies were described a long time ago - in 1758 and 1801, respectively. They were distinguished by their color details and average sizes, which are slightly larger in the second subspecies.

Currently, it is believed that the giant anaconda does not form subspecies.

Other species of the genus Eunectes

southern anaconda

In the anaconda genus, 3 more species of snakes are known, closely related to the common anaconda:

South, or Paraguayan, also known as yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), found in Paraguay, southern Bolivia and northern Argentina.

This snake is extremely similar in lifestyle to the common anaconda, but much smaller in size - its length does not exceed 3 m. The main difference in its color is the absence of light eyes in the side spots. The southern anaconda is quite small in number, and therefore is very rarely found in zoos. In captivity, it eats fish and small animals. As for reproduction, one case is known in captivity when a female, 9 months after mating, brought 8 baby snakes 55-60 cm long.

Eunectes deschauenseei, found in northeastern Brazil and Guyana (scientifically described as a separate species in 1936). The color of this snake is dark spotted and reticulated.

Eunectes deschauenseei

Eunectes beniensis- discovered quite recently, in 2002, in the upper reaches of the Beni River. Poorly studied.

Legends of the anaconda

Often in the descriptions of various “eyewitnesses” information is given about anacondas of monstrous length. It was not only amateurs who were guilty of this information. The famous British traveler to South America P. Fawcett wrote about snakes of incredible size, one of which he allegedly shot with his own hands:

“We went ashore and approached the snake with caution... We measured its length as accurately as possible: in the part of the body that protrudes from the water, it turned out to be forty-five feet and another seventeen feet were in the water, which together amounted to sixty-two feet. Its body was not thick with such a colossal length - no more than twelve inches ... Such large specimens as this one are not often found, but the tracks they leave in the swamps are sometimes six feet wide and testify in favor of those Indians who claim that anacondas sometimes reach incredible sizes, so that the specimen I shot must look like a dwarf next to them!.. I was told about a snake killed on the Paraguay River and exceeding eighty feet in length!” (62 feet = 18.9 m; 80 feet = 24.4 m; 12 inches = 30.5 cm)

Colonel Percy Fawcett (1867-1925), renowned expert South America, who nevertheless left dubious descriptions of the anaconda

Now, without exception, all such stories are considered fiction (especially since Colonel Fawcett cited many other absolutely false information in his notes). Strictly speaking, even the above-mentioned specimen with a length of 11.43 m was not documented according to all the rules, and in any case, it was apparently unique in length. It is very significant that at the beginning of the 20th century in the USA twice - once by President Theodore Roosevelt and the second time by the New York Zoological Society a prize of 5 thousand dollars was announced for an anaconda with a length of more than 30 feet (just over 9 m), but remained unclaimed.

A value greater than 12 meters for a snake is meaningless, at least from a purely biological point of view. Even a 7-8 meter anaconda is guaranteed to defeat any animal in the jungle. Too much a big increase will be energetically unjustified - in the conditions of a humid tropical forest relatively poor in large animals, it will be excessively big snake It simply won’t feed itself.

Equally fantastic are the stories about the hypnotic gaze of the anaconda, which supposedly paralyzes the victim, or about its poisonous breath, which has a detrimental effect on small animals. The same P. Fossett, for example, wrote:

“...a sharp, foul breath came from her; they say it has a stunning effect: the smell first attracts and then paralyzes the victim.”

Nothing like this modern science, including taking into account the extensive experience of keeping anacondas in zoos, does not recognize it. However, it is a fact that the anaconda emits a strong unpleasant odor.

Anaconda and man

Anacondas are often found near settlements. Domestic animals - pigs, dogs, chickens, etc. - often become prey for this snake. But the danger of the anaconda to humans, apparently, is greatly exaggerated. Isolated attacks on people are made by the anaconda, apparently by mistake, when the snake sees only part of a person’s body under water or if it seems to it that they want to attack it or take away its prey. The only reliable case - the death of a 13-year-old Indian boy swallowed by an anaconda - should be considered a rare exception. Another, recent case of the death of an adult is hardly reliable. On the contrary, the anaconda itself often becomes prey for the aborigines. The meat of this snake is valued by many Indian tribes; They say that it is very good, slightly sweet in taste. Anaconda skin is used for various crafts.

Notes

Anaconda- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (Retrieved August 17, 2011)
// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional) - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
Zenkevich L. A. Life of animals. Vertebrates. T. 4, part 2: Amphibians, Reptiles. - M.: Education, 1969. - 487 p., p. 339.
Ananyeva N. B., Bor L. Ya., Darevsky I. S., Orlov N. L. Five-language dictionary of animal names. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / under general edition acad. V. E. Sokolova - M.: Rus.yaz., 1988. - P. 275. - 10,500 copies. - .
Kudryavtsev S.V., Frolov V.E., Korolev A.V. Terrarium and its inhabitants (review of species and maintenance in captivity). / Responsible editor V. E. Flint. - M.: Forestry industry, 1991. - P. 317. - 349 p. - ISBN 5-7120-018-2
Systematic list of vertebrates in zoological collections as of 01/01/2011 // Information collection of the Euro-Asian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Vol. 30. Interdepartmental collection. scientific and scientific method. tr. - M.: Moscow Zoo, 2011. - P. 304. - 570 p. - UDC:59.006 -
Darevsky I. S., Orlov N. L. Rare and endangered animals. Amphibians and reptiles / ed. V. E. Sokolova - M.: Higher. school, 1988. - P. 338. - 100,000 copies. - .
"Biological encyclopedic dictionary." Ch. ed. M. S. Gilyarov; Editorial team: A. A. Babaev, G. G. Vinberg, G. A. Zavarzin and others - 2nd ed., corrected. - M.: Sov. Encyclopedia, 1986. - P.25.
Pedro Cieza de Leon. Chronicle of Peru. Part one. . www.bloknot.info (A. Skromnitsky) (July 24, 2008). Archived from the original on August 21, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2010.

Anacondas are the largest snakes on Earth, known for their ability to swallow large animals. There are 3-4 species of anacondas in the world; they belong to the family of pseudopods and are closely related to boas and pythons. Best known common anaconda(it is also called the giant, green or simply anaconda), other species (Paraguayan, Benian) are little known.

Giant, or ordinary, or green anaconda(Eunectes murinus).

Anacondas have all the typical characteristics of boa constrictors. They have a relatively small head and a long and muscular body. Like all representatives of the pseudopod family, anacondas have two full-fledged lungs (and not one, like in real snakes). They have completely saved pelvic bones However, there are no hind limbs; they are replaced by rudimentary (residual) claws. But still, anacondas are much more massive than all other snakes, the thickness of their body is amazing, in girth it is equal to the girth human body. Average length Paraguayan and Benian anacondas are 3-4 m, the giant anaconda on average reaches 5-6 m in length, but large individuals grow up to 9-10 m. The largest specimen of the giant anaconda had a length of 11.43 m! However, it is worth noting that such animals are extremely rare. The Wildlife Conservation Society recently offered a $50,000 prize to anyone who can produce an anaconda over 30 feet long, but it remains unclaimed. Rumors about snakes 18-40 m long are absolutely untrue. In addition, for the title of most big snake The reticulated python also claims; according to unofficial data, there are specimens over 11 m long, but these records have not been confirmed. Anacondas weigh 150-250 kg.

The color of the giant anaconda is clayey with a greenish or blackish tint, and spots are scattered throughout the body. On the back they are oblong, large, dark, on the stomach they are small, round, light with a dark border. The color of the Benian anaconda is similar to the color of the giant one, and the Paraguayan anaconda is the brightest of all species. Her main body color is yellow, and her dark spots are blue. Anacondas have pronounced sexual dimorphism, females are noticeably larger and thicker than males. Unusual feature Anacondas are a distinctly unpleasant odor emitted by these snakes.

Paraguayan or yellow or southern anaconda (Eunectes notaeus).

Anacondas are found only in South America; they are found throughout almost the entire continent - from the Andes in the west to the Atlantic coast in the east. They are also found on Trinidad Island off the coast of South America. Anacondas inhabit only warm tropical areas; for this reason, they do not rise to temperate mountain zones. The life of anacondas is closely connected with bodies of water; they inhabit river banks and swamps, and do not move far from the banks. Anacondas live alone, the density of their settlements is low, so they are rare.

Like all anaconda snakes, they are quite passive; they usually lie on the shore or crawl onto the branches of coastal trees. They explore bodies of water in search of food. Anacondas are excellent swimmers and divers; they can stay under water for a long time without rising to the surface. Even anacondas shed in water, where they rub against driftwood to shed old skin. Anacondas lie in wait for their prey near the water or chase them. The anaconda wraps the caught animal in rings around its body, strangles it and swallows it. These snakes have no poison.

Underwater photography of an anaconda. In nature, these snakes behave calmly and do not pose a danger to people.

Contrary to what many people believe, anacondas are not bloodthirsty and do not attack large animals. Their prey is usually small rodents, young crocodiles, capybaras, turtles, smaller pythons, and waterfowl. Occasionally, anacondas can attack adult crocodiles, deer, peccaries, tapirs, jaguars, pumas, and sloths crossing rivers. It happens that these snakes rob in settlements, where they eat goats, pigs, and calves left unattended. Anacondas cannot swallow large ungulates (cows, horses) under any circumstances. Their danger to people is also greatly exaggerated: anacondas are simply not interested in such prey. But still, several cases of people dying in the mouths of anacondas are known. All anaconda victims at the time of the attack were far from settlements, were alone and probably did not see the predator. So far there is not a single case of salvation from the arms of this snake. It takes several days for an anaconda to digest large prey, and its supply of nutrients lasts for several months, so anacondas have a very modest appetite.

The breeding season is in April-May. Males find their chosen one by the scent trail left by the female. Snakes form a ball of intertwined bodies and can remain in this position for several days. In fact, in this case a mating duel between males occurs, but it is expressed in muscle contractions with which the stronger male tries to force the weaker one out of the ball. The male encourages the female to mate by stroking her body with rudimentary limbs (claws), while the grinding of scales is heard. Mating often occurs under or near water. Anaconda pregnancy lasts 6-7 months. These snakes are ovoviviparous. Usually they give birth to cubs, less often they can lay eggs, from which young anacondas immediately hatch. One female is capable of giving birth to 30-44 cubs, each of which is 50-80 cm long at birth.

Pregnant female anaconda. Unlike other animals, anacondas do not gain weight during pregnancy, but lose weight.

Baby anacondas are vulnerable to predators and even to their parents, because cases of cannibalism in anacondas occur. The enemies of young anacondas can be large crocodiles, jaguars, pumas. But for those who live to see mature age, a quiet life is guaranteed. No animal dares to attack adult anacondas, so they behave rather carelessly.

When caught, anacondas behave quite calmly; several people can easily cope with one snake.

In captivity, anacondas live on average 5-6 years, which is much less than their natural lifespan. The maximum age of an anaconda in captivity was 28 years; life expectancy in nature is unknown, since in inaccessible habitats of anacondas it is difficult to conduct constant observations of them. Anacondas are a coveted exhibit for many zoos and private collectors. Having the largest snake in a terrarium is prestigious, but difficult. For wellness These snakes definitely need water (the larger the pool, the better), sunny and shady areas. In captivity, anacondas often display unusual aggressiveness.

The anaconda is one of those few reptiles that have remained virtually unchanged after many millennia of existence on Earth. Today we will look at detailed description this snake, as well as information about its habitats, nutrition and the possibility of keeping it at home.

Description and appearance

There are many legends about the anaconda, sometimes so incredible that they cast doubt on the existence of the snake in real world, therefore, it is necessary to consider information about who an anaconda is, whether such snakes exist on the planet or not, what kind of creature it is and what they are like.

The Anaconda genus is just one species of snake whose name is the same as the genus name. This type of snake is also called giant, common, black, green anaconda. This huge creature belongs to the Boa constrictor family, which is why in ancient literature you can find the name “water boa.”
With a sufficiently large length, the weight of the animal is record-breaking and can reach more than 100 kg, so we can say with confidence that the anaconda is the most big snake in the world. The biography of this creature can be traced back to 1553, when it was first mentioned in literature - it was Pedro Cies de Leon's book “Chronicle of Peru”.

Body characteristics

Let's take a closer look at what an anaconda looks like, what its dimensions are: how many meters it reaches in length, how much it weighs.

The main color of the snake is grayish-green; two rows of brown spots, round or oblong in shape, are placed on the body in a checkerboard pattern. The sides of the body are decorated with small yellow spots, which are surrounded by black rings. Thanks to this coloration, the snake can effectively camouflage itself during the hunting period.

Anaconda does not belong to the category poisonous snakes, and her saliva is not capable of causing paralysis in the victim. As for size, there is eyewitness information about the existence of individuals whose length exceeded 6 m, but they are not registered as official.

If we rely on official data, then the most big anaconda is a discovered female with a maximum length for the species - 5.21 m, and her weight was 97.5 kg.
The average body length of these animals usually does not exceed 5 m in length; in addition, females have larger and long body than males. The average body weight of an adult is 50 kg.

Did you know? Anaconda, like ordinary snakes, is capable of shedding old skin: this process occurs in water, at the bottom of a reservoir. To facilitate shedding, the snake rubs against the bottom, and the old skin comes off much faster.

Like other reptiles, these creatures have an axial skeleton divided into two sections - the body and the tail: they consist of 435 vertebrae. The snake has movable ribs that can diverge widely after hunting and swallowing large prey.

The skull has a very mobile articulation of bones, which are connected to each other by elastic ligaments, which allows the animal to open its mouth wide in the process of swallowing large prey whole.

Due to the fact that the creature's nostrils and eyes are located high on the head, the animal is able to remain completely in the water - this simplifies the hunting process. This feature of the arrangement of organs is very reminiscent of crocodiles.
The anaconda has short teeth, so the victim receives shallow bites, and if she is lucky enough to escape, the wounds usually heal quickly and without any special consequences.

The anaconda is often compared to the python: both animals have a similar body structure, but despite the obvious similarities, the anaconda is much heavier, and in length this animal is second only to the reticulated python - the longest reptile in the world.

Movement speed and strength

The animal moves very quietly and quite quickly, especially during the hunting period. At the moment of rushing for prey, its speed on land can reach 40 km/h, which is due to the very powerful muscles of the body.

The reptile has the strongest muscles possible, capable of exerting a compression force of 16 kg per 1 square meter. cm of body, or more than 1.5 tons per 1 sq. m, so it can suffocate a victim in a matter of seconds.

The anaconda is capable of moving very quickly in water: its speed is 25 km/h, and it can hold its breath when immersed in water for 1.5–2 hours.

Lifestyle

The creature’s lifestyle differs from other snakes primarily in that it prefers to spend most of its time in a body of water. Many people are interested in how long this reptile lives, and the answer to this question is 11 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity.

Area

Let's take a closer look at where the animal lives. Anaconda is distributed throughout the tropical part South American continent. The snake feels good in calm waters, so it can be found in backwaters, lakes of the Amazon basin or the Orinoco River: in such places it is easiest for it to hunt.

The animal is always found close to water, occasionally visiting the shore to bask in the sun, sometimes perching on the lower branches of a tree. In hot weather, when the reservoir dries up, the creature can crawl to another place or go downstream.

Sometimes it buries itself in the silt and falls into a torpor, and lives in this state until the reservoir is filled with water again.

How to hunt and what to eat

Food for reptiles in the wild is different types mammals, birds and reptiles that it waits near the water. Most often among the victims of the anaconda there are agoutis, waterfowl, iguanas, and the snake can also feast on peccaries, capybaras and caimans. The easiest prey for the creature are turtles, tegus and small snakes.

Let's look at how the anaconda kills. The animal does not apply special effort in order to catch prey: it often lies in wait for the victim in a motionless state and sharply grabs it in a lightning-fast throw, then, wrapping rings around the body, begins to strangle the victim and swallows it whole, opening its mouth wide.

Cases of cannibalism are also common, when one individual can eat another, smaller one.

Reproduction

Anacondas are solitary snakes, but when mating season comes, they form groups. This time falls during the rainy season - April–May. Females secrete the enzyme, leaving it on the ground and thus attracting males.

During the mating process, the male wraps himself around the female, using the rudiments of the hind limbs for coupling. The process of bearing offspring lasts for 7 months - during this time the weight of the snake decreases significantly, almost by half.
One female can reproduce up to 42 baby snakes, in rare cases up to 100. Small snakes are about 60 cm long.

Did you know? The anaconda is considered ovoviviparous, but is sometimes capable of laying eggs.

Enemies of the snake

Let's consider who can defeat an anaconda in a fight and who is stronger than the animal being described. Adult females, due to large sizes bodies, have practically no enemies, but males more often become victims.

They can be hunted by pumas and jaguars, giant otters, Orinoco crocodiles and black caimans. Often, adult males and especially young ones can be eaten by crocodile caimans.

How to escape from an anaconda

Quite a few cases of reptile attacks on humans have been recorded - perhaps this is due to the fact that such incidents occur deep in the jungle, and therefore remain unregistered, and it is still unclear whether anacondas eat people intentionally.

Nevertheless, observations that were carried out by humans allow us to put forward the theory that an adult animal will not dare to attack a person first. An attack is possible if you disturb the snake and it perceives you as a threat.
However, it is worth remembering that a reptile can swallow a person without much effort, so it must be perceived as potentially dangerous. Most often, a person is bitten - in order to protect itself, the animal bites any part of the body, which may then swell.

Important! If you don't have allergic reaction on the components of anaconda saliva, the swelling will soon go away, but if not only the bite site, but the whole body begins to swell, you should immediately go to the hospital.

Is it possible to keep at home

For home care Only the Paraguayan subspecies is suitable, but having such a dangerous creature Recommended only to professional terrarium keepers.

In order for the animal to feel comfortable, it needs to be provided with a very large terrarium, approximately the size of a small room, in which it will be placed. large swimming pool, since it is simply vital for the creature to be in the water regularly.

Rats and rabbits are suitable as food. It is recommended to feed small individuals once every 15 days, adults - once a month. In order not to provoke the animal’s aggressiveness towards humans, you should not give it live food.
The terrarium must be cleaned and the water in the pool changed every day; the humidity in the home should be maintained at a very high level - at least 90%. The overall temperature in the terrarium should be at least +25 °C; be sure to provide the anaconda with a warm corner with a temperature of +30 °C.

The reptile is provided with 2 shelters; coconut mulch and peat mixture are suitable as a substrate; snags are also installed so that the snake can crawl on them.

Precautionary measures when keeping an anaconda at home include the following points:

Do not be alone when dealing with a snake - it is necessary to have someone to save you in the event of an animal attack.
You should not pick up a pet anaconda - these snakes do not tolerate invasion of personal space, so they often bite or squeeze hands, even causing fractures.
Close the terrarium tightly so that the snake cannot get out of it on its own.
It is advisable that the room in which the terrarium is located is tightly closed. For safety reasons, it is not recommended to install it in a bedroom or room where people rest or sleep.

Important! When the terrarium is open, never allow pets or small children close to the snake, as there is a high chance that the anaconda will swallow them in a matter of seconds.

Thus, the anaconda is very big creature, which in its habitat is a dangerous predator. It is not recommended to keep an anaconda at home, but if you decide to get such a unique friend, you need to try very hard and spend money to provide the snake with the necessary conditions for a normal existence.

Anaconda: video

ITIS
NCBI
EOL

Coming from the city of Antiocha to Cartagena, when we settled it, Captain Jorge Robledo and others found so many fish that we killed with sticks whatever we wanted to catch... In addition, there are very large snakes in the thickets. I want to tell and tell about something reliably known, although I have not seen it [myself], but many contemporaries have met who deserve trust, and this is what it is: when, by order of the licentiate of Santa Cruz, Lieutenant Juan Creciano passed along this road in search of Licentiate Juan de Vadillo, leading with him several Spaniards, among whom were a certain Manuel de Peralta, Pedro de Barros, and Pedro Shimon, they came across a snake or snake, so large that it was 20 feet long, and very thick. His head is light red and his green eyes are terrifying, and since he saw them, he wanted to head towards them, but Pedro Shimon inflicted such a wound on him with a spear that even though he flew into [indescribable] rage, [still ] died. And they found in his belly a whole fawn, just as he was when he ate it; I will also say that some hungry Spaniards began to eat the deer and even part of the snake.

Appearance [ | ]

Anaconda is the most massive snake of the modern world fauna. 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. The anaconda is not poisonous - its saliva is completely harmless to humans, although wounds from teeth can be very painful.

Dimensions [ | ]

There is a lot of information about anacondas longer than 6 meters, but none of this kind of observation is reliable. Thus, the famous Swedish naturalist Georg Dahl in his book “Wild Roads” (1969; Russian translation, 1972) talks about his capture of an anaconda 8.43 m long on the Guayabero River in the jungle of Colombia. Another Swedish naturalist, Rolf Blomberg, in his book “Giant Snakes and Terrible Lizards,” citing data from Clifford Pope, mentions an anaconda specimen 28 feet long, that is, 8.54 m. There is even a description of the capture of an anaconda 11 m 43 cm long in 1944 in Colombia. The length of the largest anacondas ever described in the literature (by P. Fawcett) is indicated as 62 feet (18.59 meters) and 80 feet (24.38 meters), which once again confirms the inconsistency of such statements.

According to official data, the largest female anaconda caught in Venezuela reached 5.21 meters in length and weighed 97.5 kg, despite the fact that at least 780 captured samples passed through the hands of scientists. Moreover, the smallest individual capable of reproduction was only 2.1 m, excluding the tail. The size of anacondas has been the subject of detailed research, which has led to the conclusion that maximum size, which can be achieved by the most large anacondas, will be approximately 6.7 m - this is slightly higher than the size of the largest samples that have fallen into the hands of scientists, but incomparable with unreliable and certainly greatly exaggerated data from the past.

Adult anacondas typically do not exceed 5 meters in length. Females are significantly larger and heavier than males - their length usually approaches 4.6 m, while males average around 3 m in length. Although the anaconda is somewhat shorter than some pythons, especially the reticulated python, it is much more massive: most adult female anacondas at 4.5 m in length will be comparable in weight to extremely large ones. reticulated pythons about 7 m long. The weight of adults has been reported to typically range from 30 to 70 kg. Thus, the anaconda is the heaviest snake of the world fauna and the second largest scaly one, slightly inferior in weight only to the Komodo dragon.

Range and problem of conservation of the species[ | ]

Lifestyle [ | ]

Anaconda leads an almost entirely aquatic lifestyle. It lives in quiet, low-flowing river branches, backwaters, oxbow lakes and lakes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

Nutrition [ | ]

The anaconda feeds on various mammals, birds and reptiles, lying in wait for them near the water. It usually catches agoutis, waterfowl, iguanas and other small animals. Less commonly, larger individuals are capable of attacking peccaries, capybaras and caimans, but such large prey are not a common component of the diet. Anacondas often find turtles, tegus, and snakes for lunch - at least in the zoo, an anaconda once strangled and ate a 2.5-meter python. Fish occupies a much smaller place in the anaconda’s diet than the four-legged inhabitants of the jungle. Like all boas, the anaconda motionlessly waits for prey, lying in one place, and when it approaches, it grabs it with a lightning-fast throw and strangles it, entwining its body in rings (contrary to popular belief, the anaconda, like other boas, does not crush the victim and does not break its bones, but squeezes her and does not allow her to breathe, as a result of which she dies from suffocation). The anaconda swallows its prey whole, greatly stretching its mouth and throat. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, a 4.2 meter long, 94 kg anaconda killed and swallowed a 4 or 5 year old female puma weighing 42 kg, sustaining fatal injuries in the process. Frequent cases of cannibalism have been reported among anacondas.

Anaconda head

Predation [ | ]

Adult female anacondas have practically no enemies in nature; at times, however, they can become victims of pumas, jaguars, giant otters, Orinoco crocodiles and black caimans. Most often, anacondas are subject to predation by crocodile caimans, with which they occupy similar biotopes. Caimans usually prey on young caimans, as well as adult males weakened after mating, but in two recorded cases large (about 2 meters) males prey crocodile caimans became adult female anacondas about 5 meters long.

Subspecies [ | ]

It is currently believed that the giant anaconda does not form any subspecies.

Legends of the anaconda[ | ]

“We went ashore and approached the snake with caution... We measured its length as accurately as possible: in the part of the body that protrudes from the water, it turned out to be forty-five feet and another seventeen feet were in the water, which together amounted to sixty-two feet.
Its body was not thick with such a colossal length - no more than twelve inches ... Such large specimens as this one are not often found, but the tracks they leave in the swamps are sometimes six feet wide and testify in favor of those Indians who claim that anacondas sometimes reach incredible sizes, so that the specimen I shot must look like a dwarf next to them!.. I was told about a snake killed on the Paraguay River and exceeding eighty feet in length!” (62 feet = 18.9 m; 80 feet = 24.4 m; 12 inches = 30.5 cm)

Colonel Percy Fawcett (1867-1925), a famous expert on South America, who nevertheless left dubious descriptions of the anaconda

Now, without exception, all such stories are considered fiction (especially since Colonel Fawcett cited many other absolutely false information in his notes). Even the specimen with a length of 11.43 m, repeatedly mentioned in various sources, was not documented according to all the rules and is considered unreliable by most experts, especially considering the fact that the mass of this snake is indicated in the region of 200 kg, while an animal of this size should have weighed only a few less than a ton. In general, female anacondas do not often grow larger than 4 meters. It is very significant that at the beginning of the 20th century in the USA twice - once by President Theodore Roosevelt and the second time by the New York Zoological Society announced a prize of 5 thousand dollars for any snake more than 30 feet long (just over 9 m), but remained unclaimed.

A value greater than 8 meters for a snake is meaningless, at least from a purely biological point of view. Despite the fact that the anaconda occupies a slightly different ecological niche, even a 6-7-meter snake could defeat almost any herbivorous animal in the jungle. Too much growth will be energetically unjustified - in the conditions of a humid tropical forest relatively poor in large animals, an overly large snake simply will not feed itself and it will be more difficult for it to hide from large predators.

“...a sharp, foul breath came from her; they say it has a stunning effect: the smell first attracts and then paralyzes the victim.”

Modern science, including taking into account the extensive experience of keeping anacondas in zoos, does not recognize anything like this. However, the fact that the anaconda emits a strong unpleasant odor is reliable.

Anaconda and man[ | ]

Anacondas are often found near settlements. Domestic animals - pigs, dogs, chickens, etc. - often become prey for this snake. But the danger of the anaconda to humans, apparently, is greatly exaggerated. Isolated attacks on people are made by the anaconda, apparently by mistake, when the snake sees only part of a person’s body under water or if it seems to it that they want to attack it or take away its prey. The only reliable case - the death of a 13-year-old Indian boy swallowed by an anaconda - should be considered a rare exception. On the contrary, the anaconda itself often becomes prey for the aborigines. The meat of this snake is valued by many Indian tribes; They say that it is very good, slightly sweet in taste. Anaconda skin is used for various crafts.

Notes [ | ]

Anaconda // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed.

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