Anaconda where. Big anaconda - killer snake

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 preserved pelvic bones, although they have 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. The average length of the Paraguayan and Benian anacondas is 3-4 m, the giant anaconda reaches an average of 5-6 m in length, but large individuals grow up to 9-10 m. The largest specimen 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 live only in South America, they are found almost throughout the 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. The anaconda digests large prey for several days, and reserves nutrients it 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.

Anyone who has ever come face to face with a snake will confirm that unexpected meeting always unpleasant and evokes the only desire - to recoil.

But if you see a snake from afar, you can examine it and observe its behavior. It is worth noting that human fears regarding snakes are exaggerated. If you study their behavior, you can understand that the likelihood of dying in an accident is much higher than from a snake bite. Still, there are snakes that involuntarily evoke fear. So, which one is the best? big snake in the world. The longest or largest snake in the world is the Asian reticulated python. He is in natural environment, grows up to 10 or even 12 meters in length. Each individual can reach 150 kilograms. But no more.

The largest snake is the anaconda

Giant or Green. It is only 10 meters long, but its weight can be 220 kilograms. However, the Green Anaconda can easily compete with the Asian Python both in size and length. The largest living snake lives in New York, in the terrarium of the Zoological Society. She is about 9 meters tall and weighs 130 kilograms. But the longest anaconda length that has been recorded is 11 meters and 43 centimeters. It was measured in 1944 by a petroleum geologist who was studying the jungles of Colombia and looking for deposits of “black gold”.

However, the main evidence, the body of the “anaconda queen,” was missing. According to the geologist, after stunning and measuring, the snake came to its senses and crawled away. But the herpetological world still recognized the existence of a snake of this size. Since then, a length of almost 12 meters has been a generally recognized record. He was even included in the Guinness Book of Records. In the 30s of the last century, the zoological community announced a reward of 1 thousand dollars to anyone who could prove the existence of an anaconda more than 12.2 meters long. After this, former US President Theodore Roosevelt increased the prize to 6 thousand dollars, and reduced the size of the snake to 9.12 meters. Today the payment has already increased to 50 thousand dollars, but still no one can get it. Therefore, a 9-meter specimen from the New York terrarium is apparently the limit. This gives a trump card to supporters of Asian leadership reticulated python. Although the only snake of the species whose length can be estimated with one’s own eyes is one meter shorter than the anaconda from New York. The python lives at the Philadelphia Zoo.

All about anaconda

However, it is worth noting that the remains of the Giant African Python, which lived 55 million years ago, were found in Egypt. Part of the spine suggests that the snake had a length of 11 meters and 80 centimeters. Today average length An ordinary anaconda is about 6 meters. And cases of it growing up to nine meters are rare. The snake lives in tropical forests South America, in particular in the quiet backwaters of the Amazon. There the Giant Anaconda searches for its prey and guards it. It feeds on small and medium-sized mammals. She pounces on the victim, covers her with rings of her body, after which she strangles and swallows whole. An anaconda’s food is digested from several hours to several days. At this time, she does not eat anything, and also does not hunt. He just lies quietly, half asleep, in a secluded place. And, despite numerous cinematic and folklore legends, the anaconda is not dangerous for an adult. Cases of snake attacks on people are rare. Hunters, as a rule, do not experience fear when encountering anacondas. They destroy them in the same way as wolf farmers to prevent the snakes from destroying poultry and livestock.

Anacondas live in hard-to-reach places, so it is quite difficult to determine their numbers. However, it is already known that restoring the population of this snake species is not a problem. Giant anacondas are ovoviviparous. The average snake litter is up to 40 newborns. In addition, they reproduce calmly both in the natural environment and in captivity. Females and males are not picky about choosing a partner; it is enough for one to simply get into the visibility zone of the other. The largest snake on earth is not poisonous. She kills her victim by strangulation. And it doesn’t release venom like other snakes. This is the main difference between the Giant Anaconda and King Cobra- This is the largest venomous snake in the world. She has the most a large number of poison.

Burmese python or dark tiger python

Grows up to 9.15 meters. This is a record copy.

This python is the largest of the tiger python subspecies. It can grow up to 8 meters or more. However, individuals up to 5.5 meters in length are usually found. The snake weighs about 70 kilograms.

Indian python or light tiger python

Reaches 6 meters in length.

The light tiger python differs from the dark one by the presence of so-called light “eyes” in the centers of the spots, which are located on the sides of the body, as well as reddish or pink stripes on the sides of the head. In general, this subspecies is smaller than the dusky tiger python. Large individuals can grow up to only 6 meters.

King Cobra

This is the largest venomous snake.

It has the longest length among other poisonous ones. Individual individuals can grow up to 5.6 meters. However, on average, a cobra is only 3-4 meters in length.

Common boa constrictor

This is a snake from the family of pseudopods. Individuals can grow up to 3-4 meters in length.

The common boa constrictor feeds on reptiles and mammalian birds.

Black Mamba

This snake is the most poisonous in Africa. In length it grows to 2.4 - 3 meters. Some individuals are up to 4.5 meters.

Aurora and Black Mamba

The black mamba can crawl at speeds of up to 11 kilometers per hour. But with short throws and on flat terrain, the snake can reach speeds of up to 19 kilometers per hour.

Bushmaster

This is one of the largest representatives poisonous snakes in South America from the subfamily of pit snakes of the viper family.

Anaconda (water boa) - large non-venomous snake, belongs to the class reptiles, order squamate, suborder snakes, infraorder lower snakes, family pseudopods, subfamily, genus anaconda (lat. Eunectes).

According to etymologists, the name of the snake originates from the Sinhalese language and comes from the word “henakandaya”, meaning “ rattlesnake" Another version says that the anaconda got its name from a Tamil word that sounds similar to the word “anaconda,” which translates as “elephant killer.” In the scientific classification, the genus name sounds like Eunectes, which in Latin means “good swimmer.”

Anaconda - description and characteristics. What does an anaconda look like?

Anaconda - very large snake, and females are much larger than males. In accordance with scientifically confirmed data, the largest female anaconda was caught in Venezuela: the length of the anaconda was 5 meters 21 centimeters including the tail, and the body weight was 97.5 kilograms. Some scientists regard rumors about the capture of anacondas 9-11 m long as false. Although Soviet books indicate a different maximum length this snake is 11.43 meters (Akimushkin I. “Animal World”, “Animal Life” edited by Zenkevich, vol. 4, part 2).

Like all reptiles, axial skeleton The anaconda is divided into a body and a tail, consisting of vertebrae, the number of which can be 435 pieces. The snake's ribs are mobile and diverge widely when swallowing large prey.

The anaconda skull is distinguished by a movable articulation of bones connected by elastic ligaments. Thanks to this feature, the snake has the ability to open its mouth very wide, swallowing large prey whole.

The nostrils and eyes of the anaconda are located high on the head, thanks to which these snakes, like crocodiles, can breathe and at the same time be completely under water, guarding potential prey. The snake's eyes are protected by transparent scales (eyelids) and are adapted to track the movement of objects rather than focus images.

Anaconda teeth are long and sharp, but do not contain poison. Therefore, an anaconda bite for a person can be very sensitive, but completely safe. The snake's tongue is an important olfactory and gustatory organ that is in constant motion.

Due to the absence of mucous glands, the anaconda's skin is dense and dry, shiny due to glossy scales. The molting of a reptile occurs according to the principle of “a stocking turned inside out” - the snake sheds a single layer at a time.

The body of the anaconda is uniformly colored grayish-green, yellowish or olive in color. There are 2 rows of large dark spots along the spine - a classic example of camouflage that perfectly hides the snake against the background of the water surface and dark aquatic vegetation.

Despite the powerful stomach acids, large food is digested for several weeks, leaving a significant reserve in the reptile’s body. nutrients and energy. Thanks to this feature, anaconda snakes are by no means voracious and for a long time can go completely without food.

Anaconda - photos, types and names.

The anaconda genus includes 4 modern looking snake:

• Giant anaconda (common anaconda, green anaconda)(lat. Eunectes murinus)- most close-up view anaconda with a body length of about 5-6 meters. The body of the snake is gray-green, the back is covered with 2 rows of large brown spots, round or oval shape, arranged in a checkerboard pattern. Along the side surface of the snake's body there is a series of small yellow round markings with a black border. The giant anaconda lives in tropical zone South America from Brazil and Paraguay to Bolivia, Peru and the island of Trinidad. The snake prefers low-flowing, muddy creeks and shallow lakes of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins.

• Paraguayan anaconda, she's the same southern or yellow anaconda(lat. Eunectes notaeus) has a length of 2 to 4 meters. Most representatives of the species have yellow color, but there are greenish and gray individuals. The body of the anaconda is decorated with a large pattern of black or brown spots of a round or oblong shape with a light center. The Paraguayan anaconda lives in still or slow-flowing waters of Paraguay, northern Argentina and southern Bolivia.

• Anaconda Eunectes beniensis- a snake that resembles appearance Paraguayan anaconda, and in this regard, there is a possibility of classifying this species as Eunectes notaeus. The length of the anaconda is 4 m, the snakes have a brownish-olive or brown color on the back and a gray-brown-yellow color on the lower part of the body. The pattern is represented by 5 longitudinal dark stripes on the head and hundreds of uniformly dark spots on the back. This species of anaconda inhabits swamps and rain forests in northeastern Bolivia and possibly in adjacent areas of Brazil.

• Anaconda Deschauensei(lat. Eunectes deschauenseei)- a rare, little-studied species, the representatives of which are distinguished by their relatively small sizes: the length of an adult anaconda is 1.3-1.9 meters. The snake lives in swampy areas in northeastern Brazil and Guiana.

Strangler snakes are also called false-legged snakes, since they have rudiments of hind limbs in the form of claws on the sides of the anus. In addition, they have preserved rudiments of all three pelvic bones and hips (after all, snakes come from monitor lizards, from which they branched off in the Upper Jurassic period). They have powerful muscles as they strangle their prey before swallowing it. Their eyes have a vertical pupil.

The first subfamily, the so-called pythons, inhabit mainly Asia, especially Indochina and the Malay Archipelago. As for size, they really belong to the largest snakes in the world; some record holders reach 10 m in length.

Another subfamily is boa constrictors, whose homeland is tropical America. These include the famous boa constrictor, although rumors about its size are exaggerated; it is usually no longer than 4 meters. In addition to it, this subfamily includes a real giant - the anaconda boa constrictor, the largest specimens of which reached 11 meters. We are not talking about their thickness here, since it is not indicative: a boa constrictor that has just eaten lunch can have a colossal “carcass”, swollen from swallowed prey. In any case, the thickness itself wide place an uneaten anaconda is comparable to the torso of a man, and if larger, then not by much.

Boas and pythons hunt by hiding in trees, waiting for their prey. Anaconda, a snake in principle, is a water snake, although it can crawl through trees, but does not do it very willingly.

The main color of the anaconda is grayish-green with large dark brown spots of round or oblong shape, alternating in a checkerboard pattern. On the sides of the body there is a series of small light spots surrounded by a black stripe. This coloring perfectly hides the anaconda when it hides, lying in a quiet backwater, where brown leaves and tufts of algae float on the gray-green water. Favorite places anacondas - low-flow branches and creeks, oxbow lakes and lakes, swampy lowlands in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. In such secluded corners, the anaconda, lying in the water, guards its prey of various mammals that come to drink (agouti, peccaries), waterfowl, sometimes turtles and young caimans. Domestic pigs, dogs, chickens, and ducks also fall prey to the anaconda when they approach water. The anaconda often crawls ashore and takes sunbathing, but does not go far from the water. She swims well, dives and can stay under water for a long time, while her nostrils are closed with special valves.

When a reservoir dries up, the anaconda moves to neighboring ones or goes downstream of the river. In case of excessive drying, when all nearby bodies of water dry up, it buries itself in sand or silt and enters a state resembling hibernation. This only applies to areas where seasonal droughts occur. In Brazil, for example, this snake remains vigorous and active all year round.

Scary stories about anaconda cannibalism are not true. Snakes never attack prey that they cannot swallow. Single attacks on people are carried out by it, 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.

It is well known that the lower jaw of a snake consists of two halves connected by a very elastic tendon. Also, with the help of tendons, and not a stable joint, it connects to the skull, which allows the snake to stretch its mouth to incredible sizes. However, this ability is not unlimited. The head itself big anaconda does not exceed 15 cm in diameter. No matter how it opens its mouth, neither the head nor the body of a person will squeeze through it.

As for swallowing prey “alive” by an anaconda, boas never do this at all, since they must first strangle the victim, squeezing it with their rings, as their name indicates.

Particularly colorful stories can be heard about the snake's gaze. It is sparkling, bewitching, chilling, and numbing people and animals.

All this, of course, is nonsense, but these snake eyes are already an anatomical curiosity. In fact, we don't see them at all.

Like this? “I,” an experienced person will say, “have never seen an anaconda, but I have met other snakes more than once and I know well that they have eyes, but only some dull, expressionless ones.”

This description corresponds to reality and indicates precisely that this man did not see the real eyes of the snake. The fact is that these reptiles have amazing phenomenon. Their upper and lower eyelids are fused together, resulting in their eyes being blocked from light. However, in order for them to somehow perform their functions for the benefit of the animal, the fused eyelids became transparent, as a result of which the snake looks through them, as if through glasses. Before molting, the old skin begins to separate from the body, the transparency of the eyelids sharply decreases, and then we cease to distinguish between the iris and pupils of the snake. She, for her part, also begins to see worse through these frosted “glasses.”

The anaconda's molting process often takes place underwater; in captivity you have to watch how a snake, immersed in a pool, rubs its belly against its bottom and gradually pulls off its crawl. Anaconda, like many reptiles, including snakes, is ovoviviparous, and the female brings from 28 to 42 cubs 5080 cm long, but can occasionally lay eggs. Anaconda pregnancy lasts a very long time. Once, a female caught in Brazil, in October 1928, gave birth to almost a hundred cubs, but in the Berlin Zoo and after seven months. Newborn snakes were 3/4 m long.

In captivity, these snakes do not live long, 5-6 years, the maximum recorded life expectancy in captivity is 28 years. They feed mainly on rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, but they also eat various reptiles, fish and sometimes swallow snakes. One day, a 5-meter anaconda strangled and ate a 2.5-meter dark python, which took her only 45 minutes.

The common boa constrictor is also found near human habitation, where it hunts rodents and lizards. In some areas it is even almost “domesticated” - local residents keep boas in their houses and barns, and they regularly catch rats and mice, like cats.

During the breeding season, which occurs in different time in each subspecies, the common boa constrictor bears from 15 to 64 live young, each half a meter long. In two years they grow to 2-3 m in length and become sexually mature. When kept in captivity, the common boa constrictor readily eats mice, rats, pigeons and chickens. Young boas are well tamed, adult snakes are often vicious, hissing and biting a person if handled carelessly. Boas live in captivity for about ten years, but sometimes much longer - up to 23 years.

The Madagascar boa constrictor is very close in structure to common boa constrictor and until recently was included with it in the genus Constrictor, but some anatomical differences and a separate area forced it to be separated into an independent genus.

The unusually beautiful coloring of the body with diamond-shaped spots on the back and an intricate eye-shaped pattern on the sides is complemented by an intense bluish-green metallic sheen, especially bright on the back of the body. This snake, reaching three meters in length, inhabits the forests of Madagascar, where it always stays close to water. In captivity, it willingly eats various birds; He has a very calm disposition and never uses his teeth.

Based on the book by Jan Žabiński

If you slowly drift downstream from the confluence of Abunan and Rio Negro, you can meet the triangular head of an anaconda. Her body is several feet. It squirms. This is a giant anaconda. I had to shoot her to save my life. When we came ashore, we approached the snake with great caution. We tried to measure its length. It turned out to be sixty-two feet. Anacondas this large are rare, but the tracks they leave in the swamps can be up to six feet wide. All this testifies in favor of the statement of those Indians and rubber tappers who claim that anacondas can reach incredible heights. large sizes. Any invasion of anaconda habitats is like playing with death.

In almost every depression filled with water, two or three of these monsters can be found. Local Indians fearlessly hunt snakes. They, gathered in groups of up to 10 people, jump into the water to kill the anaconda with knives. And they sometimes succeed.
In almost every book about South America you can encounter an anaconda.

The anaconda hunter is slow. Most often, she lies on the bottom and only occasionally raises her head above the water to see if her prey has approached the shore. She can simply swim with the flow of the river in search of schools of fish.
Most often, the anaconda hunts fish, various mammals that come to drink, waterfowl, sometimes turtles and young caimans. She kills with her deadly embrace - she strangles the victim.

Too much a big increase for the anaconda - biologically unjustified excesses.
There are two types of anacondas. The second species is the southern anaconda. It lives to the south of the usual species and is much smaller in size (the limit is 3.25 meters). The anaconda is not brightly colored: a dark olive base tone, and oval black (“velvet”) spots are scattered throughout the body. The southern anaconda has a lighter background with a yellowish tint.
Anaconda is a real water boa constrictor. But she hunts prey not in the water, but near the shore: she grabs animals and birds that come to drink. In some areas, anacondas regularly prey on young crocodiles (caimans).
Anacondas do not lay eggs, but give birth to live young. There are from 30 to 80 of them in one litter. And they, newborns, are 70-90 centimeters long.

Precisely because of the inaccessibility of its habitats, very little is known about the habits of the giant anaconda. Almost all the information was collected from observing these animals in zoos. It is also difficult to estimate their number in wildlife. However, apparently, this species is not in danger of extinction.

Anaconda snake is a water boa constrictor. It is classified as a pseudopod due to a pair of small spines on the back of the body.

There is a version that the spines were inherited from the ancient ancestors of the times of lizards; they are also called the rudiments of the hind legs.

These snakes inhabit the tropics, settling near bodies of water.

She swims well and dives well; she can stay under water for a long time, closing her nostrils with special valves.

When the dry season comes, it moves to another body of water, or buries itself in the bottom silt, falling into torpor until the rains begin. Molting also occurs in water.

So what is it, anaconda? This is a fairly large snake, from 5 to 9 meters long, not poisonous. Her brain is small. There are no eyelids on the eyes. Why? Nobody knows yet.

It is difficult to monitor due to its habitat. The right and left jaws are not connected to each other, which allows her to swallow food whole.

The mouth has 100 sharp, curved teeth. Her long forked tongue brings fear not only to animals, but also to people. True, the latter do more harm to these giants, killing them.

The local population eats snake meat, they say it’s delicious, and the skin is used. Also, with the help of language, the anaconda determines what is happening around. Poking it out of her mouth, she scans the information and catches her “lunch.”

anaconda on a tree photo

The sense of smell is very well developed. By the way, its color depends on the type of snake. And there are four of them: green anaconda, spotted anaconda, yellow anaconda and Bolivian anaconda. The largest of these representatives is the green anaconda. The main colors of a snake's shiny skin are brown, olive and yellow.

For example, a green anaconda has a green robe with round or oval black spots in two rows. And on the sides of the beauty there are small light spots. Such “clothing” serves as an excellent camouflage for the hostess in water where there are a lot of leaves and algae. The female is larger in size and weight than the male.

By the time of mating, the female eats up, becomes strong and fat. Males search for a female by smell, possibly using their tongue. Several gentlemen crawl in and wrap their rings around their queen, thereby forming a snake ball.

anaconda resting photo

Pregnancy lasts quite a long time (6-7 weeks) and the snake loses a lot of weight. The anaconda is ovoviviparous, giving birth to from 25 to 43 babies. Although they are babies, they are already about 80 cm long. After birth, the snakes swim away in different directions in search of food, the mother does not feed them. Of course, not all of them survive; many predators love to eat them.

Anacondas feed while waiting for them near the water. They know how to catch deftly, but for some reason they don’t really like fish. Pouncing on the victim, the anaconda begins to strangle it, and then swallows it whole. After a hearty lunch, the predator may not eat for a long time.