Anaconda Snake

Anaconda snake, the name sends shivers down your spine. You may imagine vividly a snake gobbling down its prey down its slithery body. The thick Amazon jungles, the cry of the monkey as it screams... warning others of the impending danger. And then, out of nowhere a huge serpentine image strikes its unsuspecting prey. The cold, leathery skin starts draping itself against the victim's body... The victim struggles and screams crying out in pain as the powerful muscles tighten their grip. The snake continues to coil and squeeze and every time the helpless victim gives out a breath, the snake tightens its grip.

Snap! The bones snap into two. The over 250 kg of crushing weight break every bone in the body. The struggling and screaming prey soon finds himself in the arms of a very painful death by asphyxiation. There is an eerie silence blanketing the Amazon jungles. Slowly, very slowly, the gigantic snake engulfs its prey entirely. It will not chew, it will not tear neither will it poison the victim. Just swallow the prey whole, breaking every bone in the body into a powdery goo. Are you getting the 'pins and needles' sensation running through your body? If yes, then you have just experienced a spine chilling vivid imagination of an anaconda snake hunting down its meal. Want to learn more of such shocking facts on anaconda? Then continue reading more of this interesting article.

Anaconda Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Reptilia
• Order: Squamata
• Suborder: Serpentes
• Family: Boidae
• Genus: Eunectes
• Species: Eunectes deschauenseei, Eunectes notaeus, Eunectes beniensis, Eunectes murinus

Anaconda Information

Anacondas are native to the South American jungles of the Amazon basin. They are found in eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay, Northeastern Argentina. The rare dark spotted 'Eunectes deschauenseei' is found in northeastern Brazil, coastal French Guiana and Guyana. They belong to the Boa Constrictor family. Anaconda habitat consists of rivers, lakes and swamps. These are solitary creatures who prefer retreating in the jungles rather than confronting humans. Let's go into some more interesting anaconda information.

Physical Characteristics

Anaconda is the largest snake in the world. Anaconda is about 18 to 35 feet long and weighs more than 500 pounds. They can expand their bodies and jaws to accommodate prey that is much larger in size than themselves. They have a dull dark green color and large dark spots on the upper body. The green anaconda has its underbody covered with lighter spots. There are two longitudinal stripes on its head and has variable color. Smaller species of the snake are yellow in color. Their body is covered with smooth glistening scales.

Eating Habits
Anaconda is not a venomous snake. It uses its non-poisonous fangs for getting a hold on its victim. They kill their prey by constriction by coiling around the body and squeezing. Every time the chest of the victim deflates by breathing out, the snake tightens the grip. Finally the prey dies either due to asphyxiation or due to the crushing impact. The snake then swallows the prey whole and the muscles inside the snake's body continue to crush the bones, making it easier to swallow the prey.

Wondering what do anconda's eat? It feeds on aquatic animals as well as capybaras, deer, sheep, dogs, caimans, jaguars, goats, ponies, etc. Baby anacondas feed on smaller aquatic prey like frogs, fish, mice and rats. Fully grown anaconda's feed on everything and anything that moves. Female anacondas are known to practice cannibalism on their smaller male counterparts, when no large prey is available. In water, they tend to hold on to the prey with their fangs and pull them into the water. They drown the prey and then feast on their meal.

Reproduction
There is very little information available about their breeding cycle. It is seen in captivity, male anacondas are aroused by the scent of a female. During courtship, the male moves alongside the female and flicks his tongue over her head continuously. This continues till his head it over her neck and the mating is complete. A female anaconda lays 20 to 100 eggs that are born early during the year. The baby anaconda is about 2 to 3 feet long.

Is it a Man Eater?
Many people believe that anaconda's are man eaters. Anaconda's stalk, hunt and kills its prey. It is generally seen, they prefer retreating rather than confronting the biped intruders on its home turf. They will not stalk a human prey, but there are many instances where they have killed and hunted down humans. Anacondas are not obligate man-eaters and there are many interesting flavors around the jungle that tickle their taste buds. This is the reason, human population is still thriving around the river basins where these creatures hunt.

Anacondas are short-tempered snakes and one can easily anger them. Maybe this the reason, why they may attack humans, instead of slithering away. It is one of the many facts about anacondas that it moves about 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/hour) on dry land. This means humans are faster and can easily outrun these humongous predators. Anaconda's have always been a part of folklore and serpentine myths, probably due to its unique mode of killing its prey and large size. Like all snakes they are mysterious creatures, who should be respected and left alone in their wild habitats living a life that they are used to.

Anacondas are not as fierce hunters as portrayed in the movie 'Anaconda'. They are creatures of the jungle, who follow jungle rules. People sometimes tend to overstep the jungle law and end up getting injured or becoming a meal. Hope you have enjoyed reading about the anaconda snake information in the above paragraphs.