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Green Anaconda
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Reptiles |
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South America |
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- |
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Boidae |
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90 to 140 kg |
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Swamps and tropical forest |
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Mammals, reptiles, fish |
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180 days |
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20 to 40 |
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Caimans, birds of prey, jaguars |
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Abundant |
This
snake can fast for up to two years and will eat everything in sight even
crocodiles.
The Anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world. This snake can be up to 9
metres (30 feet) long and can weigh up to 180 kg (400 lbs). The colour is olive
green and the round black markings on its back are typical of this species. Like
all snakes, it is able to swallow preys that are much larger than its head and
this is because of a special adaptation at the skull level. It can stay up to 10
minutes underwater without breathing. It can climb trees. This snake is mostly
aquatic and prefers swampy stagnant waters in which it is well hidden. It is
widely distributed in South America. Its diet includes a wide variety of birds,
mammals, fish and reptiles such as the caiman. Its solitary nature and
aggressive temper make it difficult for humans to handle it. A female can give
birth to 20 to 40 young. It is an ovoviviparous species, meaning that the
incubation will occur inside the female’s body until hatching. A juvenile has
many predators: caimans, birds of prey, jaguars, fish and even the adult
Anaconda! An adult has no natural predators. This snake can live between 10 and
30 years in nature. Despite its reputation as a man-eater, human deaths caused
by this species are extremely rare. There is a certain illegal trade for the
skin and the destruction of South American tropical forests play an important
role in the decreasing numbers. The main threat comes from local populations who
fear it and kill it on sight. This is not an endangered species, but the trade
is controlled in many South American countries.