Where do anacondas live? Giant anaconda, or common anaconda, or green anaconda

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, the average length of 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 Giant anaconda searches for its prey and guards. 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 biggest poisonous 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 of venomous snakes in South America from the subfamily of pit viper snakes of the viper family.

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. The anaconda’s favorite places are low-flowing 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 is connected 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 numbers in the wild. However, apparently, this species is not in danger of extinction.

Anaconda is common name four types of snakes. And speaking with scientific precision, anacondas are a genus of snakes belonging to the subfamily of boas. You can see photos of boa constrictors on our website, follow this link for photographs and descriptions of all genera of snakes in the boa constrictor subfamily. On this page we will describe and provide photos only of representatives of the anaconda genus.

The giant anaconda is the first species we will look at; It is this species that is most often simply called anaconda. IN scientific literature this species is also called the common anaconda or green anaconda. The name green anaconda is a tracing paper (in linguistics, tracing paper is a borrowing with a literal translation) with English name This species of snake is green anaconda.

Some individuals of this species actually have a greenish tint to their skin. Here is a photo of a giant anaconda at an aquarium in Boston.

It is the species of giant anaconda that is the most close-up view snake of all modern species. Weight itself large anaconda reached almost one hundred kilograms. She was caught and measured in Venezuela, the exact weight was 97.5 kg with a length of 5.2 meters. It was a female; in this species, females are larger than males.

The local press sometimes reported encounters with individuals ten meters or more in length, but there is no reliable evidence of the existence of anacondas of such sizes.

The giant anaconda, like other anaconda species, leads a predominantly aquatic lifestyle. She prefers quiet bodies of water, such as lakes, oxbow lakes, and low-flow river branches of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

Giant anaconda after a successful hunt.

The giant anaconda sometimes crawls ashore and basks in the sun, but never moves very far from the water.

Photo - the face of a giant anaconda peeks out of the water.

The anaconda feels great under water, it not only swims, but also dives well, and can not rise to the surface for a long time. When diving, her nostrils are closed with special valves.

In some habitats of this anaconda species there are seasonal droughts. If a reservoir becomes shallow, anacondas either move to another, or bury themselves in the silt and go into hibernation. With the return of the rainy season, the snake awakens.

Like all snakes, anacondas shed. Their molting occurs under water. When kept in captivity, snakes often rub against the walls of pools, gradually pulling off their old skin.

Green anacondas spend most of the year alone; only in April-May, when the rainy season is in the Amazon, do they gather in groups. This is a special time for them - their mating period begins.

Giant anacondas, like all other representatives of the boa constrictor genus, are ovoviviparous. After bearing the offspring for 6-7 months, the female gives birth to 25-40 cubs. The babies are 50-80 centimeters long and are completely independent from the first day. There are rare cases of an anaconda laying eggs.

Common anacondas feed on small animals. Lying in wait for prey near the water, the snake attacks it with lightning speed and then strangles it, tightly wrapping itself in rings around the victim’s body.

The only danger to the anaconda is big cat- jaguar. These cats are not afraid of water and can catch, kill and eat an anaconda, but this is rare.

Paraguayan anaconda

Paraguayan anaconda, or yellow anaconda - the species has a specific color, maximum length an adult is equal to four meters.

In terms of its lifestyle, the Paraguayan anaconda is practically no different from other representatives of its genus: it lives in water, occasionally crawling onto land, feeds on small animals, and does not reproduce by laying eggs, but gives birth to cubs.

The Paraguayan anaconda is easy to breed in captivity. Females give birth to from 7 to 40 cubs, births can occur both in water and on land. Cubs begin an independent life from the moment of birth.

In the photo: Paraguayan anaconda at the zoo.

Anaconda Deschauensei

Anaconda Deschauensei is a little described species; it is only stated that it lives in the north-west of Brazil. I did not find a photo of this type of anaconda.

Eunectes beniensis

Eunectes beniensis is another little-described species of anaconda. In 2002, German herpetologist Lutz Dirksen first described it.

This species bears so many similarities to the Paraguayan anaconda that its future status as a separate species is unclear and in doubt.

The anaconda Eunectes beniensis is known in Bolivia and lives mainly in swampy areas. These snakes are found only in relatively untouched and sparsely populated regions, which are not so few in Bolivia and cover a wide area. The species' numbers are of minimal concern, but these snakes are hunted for their meat, skin and fat. It also attacks small domestic animals such as dogs or cats, chickens and other birds, and for peasants this is a sufficient reason to kill the snake. With all this, the Bolivian authorities have not yet taken special measures to protect this species, although there are plans to create the Rogaguado Lakes reserve to preserve the biological systems of the swamps.

The anaconda snake is an incredible creature that has remained virtually unchanged for many millennia.

Legends about huge snakes capable of swallowing a person amaze the imagination. However, such snakes do exist. In the rivers of South America live creatures whose size is difficult to imagine.

general characteristics

They belong to the boa constrictor family. This is the largest and heaviest reptile of all existing on earth.

Like all other snakes, it is a carnivorous predator.

Habitat

Snakes are found throughout tropical South America. Including:

• Colombia;
• Venezuela;
• Bolivia;

Appearance

Anaconda is the largest and heaviest snake of all existing on earth. The weight of an adult animal can reach 100 kg, and the length ranges from 5-7.5 meters. There is no documentary evidence of them whose dimensions exceed 7.5 meters. In the area of ​​the tail, these reptiles have small bony processes, which are the rudiments of the hind legs. For this feature they received the name pseudopods.

Anaconda photo.

The giant predator belongs to the boa constrictor family. The Indians of South America have legends that tell of the existence huge snakes, whose height reaches 12 meters. However, no one has yet been able to verify the authenticity of these stories.

The body color is gray-green with large brown spots, which are located along its entire body in two rows. Because of the greenish tint of her skin, she is called green. This snake is not poisonous. However, its bites can be very painful.

Habitat

These snakes are found in the rivers and lakes of South America. They can also be found in humid rural areas equatorial forests South American continent. Favorite place habitats creeks, streams and small lakes Water pools the Amazon and Orinoco rivers.

Lifestyle

The anaconda snake leads a predominantly aquatic lifestyle, occasionally crawling onto the banks of reservoirs. However, she tries not to crawl too far from the shore. Because only in water does this animal feel completely safe. They are very mobile in water, but move on land with great difficulty.

Giant anaconda photo.

The speed of movement is influenced by the huge size and heavy weight of the body. Green snakes are excellent swimmers and divers. They are able to stay under water for quite a long time.

At this time, their nostrils are tightly closed from water with skin growths similar to valves. Molting also occurs exclusively under water. At this time, the snake rubs its belly against the bottom and gradually pulls off its old skin.

Nutrition

This is a predator that feeds on a variety of mammals, amphibians and occasionally fish. A snake can lie in wait for its victims long time. Thanks to its color, the snake seems to blend in with the grass and remains almost invisible. After the prey gets close to close range, the snake makes a quick lunge and wraps its coils around its victim and begins to strangle it. The compression force is such that the animal simply cannot breathe and almost instantly dies from suffocation.

Anaconda snake underwater.

These snakes are sometimes called water boas. They even attack those formidable predators like crocodiles. A person can also become a victim of this reptile. Cases where a snake ate a person are often described by Indians living in the South American jungle. They are not documented. However, there is no reason not to trust the stories of local residents.

Reproduction

She leads a solitary lifestyle. These reptiles gather in groups only for the mating period, which occurs in April-May. At this time it rains in the countryside. At this time, females secrete odorous substances, by the smell of which males find them. After mating, the female bears the offspring for 6 months. At this time, she hardly hunts and loses a lot of weight. Anaconda snakes are viviparous. At birth, the cubs are about half a meter to 80 cm long.

Enemies

Adults in the wild have very few enemies. Few animals are able to defeat this giant snake.

However, cases of attacks on them by other predators still occur. Most often, young individuals become victims of predators. On land they are often hunted:

• jaguars;

Green snakes are often attacked crocodile caimans. Perhaps the most formidable enemy is man. Hunting water snakes is not prohibited. The Indians kill them for their valuable skin and meat, which they use for food.

Lifespan

Lifespan of a boa constrictor under conditions wildlife not known for certain. These snakes tolerate captivity very poorly and die after 5-6 years. Only one case is reliably known when a snake lived in captivity for 28 years.

Red Book

The water boa is a protected species. These reptiles are listed in the International Red Book. Due to the fact that they live in very inaccessible places, scientists have not been able to reliably estimate the size of the population. Therefore, assigned to them protective status belongs to the category “threat of extinction not assessed”.

Be in her stomach and stay alive! This idea came to the mind of the Italian biologist Paul R. Together with the Discovery Channel, Paul planned to conduct an experiment that was dangerous both for himself and for the boa constrictor and present the result to the audience of the channel. The scientist, dressed in a protective suit, was supposed to be swallowed by a six-meter snake. The idea is extremely dangerous. Snakes that reach this size easily swallow large mammals. However, there was no sensation.

Anaconda on the surface of the river.

The first time Paul tried to become dinner for the giant anaconda, it simply got scared and began to crawl away. Then the scientist decided to provoke the reptile himself into an attack, after which the snake, curled up in rings, began to swallow the man, squeezing him with its body.

The force of the pressure was such that the scientist felt that the bones of his arm were about to break, and he himself almost could not breathe. Wild pain and panic fear forced Paul to call for help and stop the experiment.

The scientist later said that only a protective suit saved him from imminent death. A person without protection would die within 10 seconds. This experience confirmed how dangerous a meeting with her is for any living creature !!

Do you know that...

Do you know everything about amphibians? There is a species of amphibian, such as the one that leads interesting image life. I advise you to read it!

Belongs to the class of reptiles, order Squamate, family - boa constrictors, genus - anaconda. This is a reptile creature that has no legs. It is believed that the predecessors of snakes were primitive lizards that appeared eighty million years ago. During the period of evolution, they lost their limbs. Apparently, that’s why they are considered relatives. The main difference between snakes is the ability to move the lower jaw so that it becomes possible to swallow objects much larger than their head.

Thanks to Hollywood and Jennifer Lopez. Today, probably only very lazy people have not watched the famous film “Anaconda”. In that film, the snake is presented as a terrible man-eating monster. In fact, this is very far from reality. Like attacking a person from a treetop. Anacondas are too heavy for this kind of hunting.

There are 4 types of anacondas.

Bolivian anaconda (Eunectes beniensis) - Bolivia
Dusky anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei) - Brazil
Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) - Amazon and Orinoco river basins
Yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) - Argentina and Paraguay.

Anaconda is considered the largest snake in the whole world

. Average length its body can reach 10 m. The weight of these creeping creatures is up to 250 kg. The parameters of the largest anaconda that was caught by a person were: 11 m 43 cm.
What kind of anaconda is she?

Its body is colored brownish-green with brownish spots. Anacondas live in the tropical forests of southern America. They are comfortable in damp riverine forests and swamps, where the most best places for a great hunt. The anaconda constrictor spends most of its time in bodies of water, camouflaging itself in the grey-green waters where brown leaves and algae float. In such places, the snake is inconspicuous and, hiding, waits for the victim going to the watering hole.

Anaconda

Anaconda is a completely non-venomous snake

. Its main weapon is the ability to strangle prey by wrapping itself in numerous rings around it. She grabs the victim with her sharp teeth, twists her body around her, pulling chest animal until it stops breathing. After this procedure, the anaconda turns the prey with its head towards itself and swallows it, “putting it on” the victim’s carcass in the form of a stocking.

Anacondas have one more feature. Thanks to the presence of nasal valves on the muzzle, it can dive under water. The snake hunts various medium-sized ungulates and also feeds on waterfowl and domestic animals that come to the watering hole.

Anaconda

Anaconda

Surely you have heard horror stories about anacondas more than once or watched terrifying footage from films. But in reality, these cases are extremely rare.

Anaconda does not attack people

, because she knows that prey of this size may be too much for her. However, there are documents in which there are documented cases of a teenager being killed by a snake. Amazon hunters, as soon as they see an anaconda, lose no opportunity to kill it.