It belongs to the class reptiles, the scaly order, the suborder snakes, the infraorder lower snakes, the false-legged family, the boa constrictor subfamily, the anaconda genus.

2. Anacondas live on the island of Trinidad, as well as throughout the tropics of South America: the range covers countries such as Venezuela and Peru, Brazil and eastern Paraguay, Ecuador, northern Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana and Guiana.

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

4. Like most large snakes (pythons and boas), anacondas grow throughout their life cycle, the first years are especially intensive, and when mature, they grow much more slowly.

5. The genus of anacondas includes 4 modern species of snakes: giant anaconda, Paraguayan anaconda, Eunectes beniensis anaconda, Deschauensey's anaconda.

giant anaconda

6. Giant anaconda (common anaconda, green anaconda) - the largest species of anacondas with a body length of about 5-6 meters, and a weight of 97 kilograms or more. Scientists have found that a giant anaconda with a length of 9 to 11 meters is a myth, since its length does not exceed 6.5 meters.

7. The body of this snake is gray-green in color, the back is covered with 2 rows of large brown spots of a round or oval shape, arranged in a checkerboard pattern.

8. A series of small yellow round marks with a black border runs along the lateral surface of the body of the snake.

9. The giant anaconda lives in the tropical zone of South America from Brazil and Paraguay to Bolivia, Peru and the island of Trinidad.

10. The snake prefers slow-flowing, muddy backwaters and shallow lakes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

Paraguayan anaconda

11. Paraguayan anaconda, also known as the southern or yellow anaconda, has a length of 2 to 4 meters.

12. Most representatives of this species are yellow in color, but there are greenish and gray individuals.

13. The body of this anaconda is decorated with a large pattern of black or brown spots of a round or oblong shape with a light middle.

14. The Paraguayan anaconda lives in stagnant or low-flowing waters of Paraguay, northern Argentina and southern Bolivia. Despite its gigantic size, the anaconda often falls prey to a jaguar or caiman, and a wounded snake can attract the attention of a flock of piranhas, which can also attack a weakened animal.

15. These huge snakes are excellent swimmers, because they spend almost their entire lives in the water, occasionally crawling ashore to bask in the sun, or climb trees, wrapping their bodies around lower branches. If the reservoir dries up, the anaconda snake moves downstream along the riverbed or burrows into the silt and falls into suspended animation before the onset of the rainy season.

16. Anaconda Eunectes beniensis - a snake resembling the Paraguayan anaconda in appearance, and in this regard, there is a possibility of classifying this species as Eunectes notaeus.

17. The length of the anaconda is 4 meters, these snakes have a brownish-olive or brown color of the back and a gray-brown-yellow color of the lower body. The pattern is represented by 5 longitudinal dark stripes on the head and hundreds of evenly dark spots on the back.

18. This species of anaconda inhabits swamps and humid forests in northeastern Bolivia and possibly in adjacent territories of Brazil.

19. Anaconda is not a poisonous snake, and it is characterized by a method of hunting, characteristic of all boas: the snake motionlessly guards the prey, and then makes a sharp throw, wraps around the victim with a muscular body and strangles. But it does not press or break the animal's bones, as boas usually do. As a result, the victim of the anaconda dies of suffocation. Also, the snake can grab prey with its teeth.

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

Anaconda Deschauensea

21. Anaconda Deschauenseya is a rare, little-studied species, whose representatives are relatively small in size: the length of an adult anaconda is 1.3-1.9 meters. The snake lives in a swampy area in the northeast of Brazil and in Guiana.

22. The body of a snake is divided into a tail and a huge body with 435 vertebrae. Its ribs are movable and allow it to swallow very large prey.

23. The skull of the anaconda consists of movable bones interconnected by ligaments. It is thanks to this feature that it opens its mouth wide and swallows the prey whole.

24. Highly located eyes and nostrils allow the anaconda to breathe underwater. Its eyes allow it to quickly track prey rather than focus, thanks to its transparent scales.

25. An important organ of the snake is the tongue, which is responsible for taste and smell. The anaconda feeds on various types of mammals and reptiles, fish in the snake's menu occupies the least significant part. Agoutis, iguanas and other lizards, waterfowl, as well as some large animals: capybaras, peccaries, young caimans, turtles, capybaras, tupinambis and snakes, including rather large pythons, serve as food for it.

26. The teeth of a giant anaconda do not contain poison, although they are sharp and long, so a bite for a person is not deadly.

27. The skin of the anaconda is dry and dense, because it does not have mucous glands. But it is shiny, thanks to the scales.

28. The molting of these reptiles occurs according to the principle of “turned inside out stocking” - the snake sheds a single layer at a time.

29. 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.

30. The first official mention of the anaconda in a work of art is found in the story "Chronicles of Peru" by Pedro Cies de Leon, which was written in 1553. The author claims that this information is reliable and describes the anaconda as a huge snake 20 feet long with a reddish head and evil green eyes. She was subsequently killed, and a whole fawn was found in her stomach.

31. Compared to the anaconda constrictors we are used to, they are much stronger and more aggressive. They can bite or attack a person, but more often still prefer not to get involved in a conflict. Left alone with a giant reptile, you need to be very careful and do not provoke the anaconda with loud sounds or sudden movements.

32. The strength and musculature of this snake far exceeds the strength of a boa constrictor, it is generally accepted that one turn of the body of an anaconda is several times stronger than one turn of a boa constrictor.

33. Anaconda is the largest snake in the world fauna, and females grow much larger than males. According to the most reliable and verified information, the usual length of this snake does not exceed 4-5 meters.

34. Anaconda does not know how to paralyze the victim with a glance. They can only enter into a stupor from their wild smell.

35. People were afraid of the anaconda and considered it a bloodthirsty snake, in fact, only one attack on a teenage boy from an Indian tribe was recorded.

36. Anacondas lead a solitary lifestyle, and gather in groups only during the breeding season. The mating season coincides with the rainy season, which in the Amazon begins in mid-spring.

37. During the breeding season, anacondas crawl out onto land, and males look for females by the smell of pheromones that females leave on the ground.

38. One female can have several partners. Anacondas, like other snakes, mate by coiling into a ball of intertwined bodies. To hold a partner, males use the rudimentary organs of the hind limbs - a method characteristic of all members of the pseudo-legged family. At the same time, a grinding sound comes from a ball of grappled giant snakes.

39. Anacondas are ovoviviparous snakes, the incubation period is 6-7 months, during which the female is severely depleted, losing almost half of her weight.

40. Very rarely, pregnancy ends with the laying of eggs: as a rule, egg shells burst in the womb, and from 28 to 42 cubs are born (according to one version, there may be about 100 kites).

Anaconda at the zoo

41. Anaconda lives in many public and private zoos around the world, but it is very difficult to create comfortable conditions for breeding, and therefore snakes rarely live up to 20 years in captivity, and the average life expectancy in zoos is short: 7–10 years.

42. The Swedish zoologist G. Dahl in his diaries describes an animal he caught in Colombia more than 8 meters long, and his compatriot Ralph Bloomberg describes anacondas 8.5 meters long.

43. But such sizes are rather an exception to the rule, and stories about caught 11-meter anacondas are nothing more than hunting stories.

44. Anaconda does not prey on humans, and local Indian tribes often catch anacondas for the sake of tender and pleasant meat, and various souvenirs and crafts for tourists are made from leather.

45. When a person is in the water, the snake does not see him completely and can easily take him for a capybara or a deer cub.

Gerald Durrell

46. ​​The famous English zoologist Gerald Durrell describes his hunting for the anaconda and describes it not as a formidable predator, but an animal that weakly defended itself and did not show aggression. The zoologist caught her by simply grabbing her by the tail and throwing a bag over the head of the "fierce anaconda".

47. It is not known exactly how long the anaconda lives in natural conditions, but in captivity the average age of the snake is 5-6 years. The maximum recorded lifespan of the anaconda was 28 years.

48. When in danger, the anaconda hides in the nearest body of water and can be under water for a very long time.

49. Due to the fact that this reptile leads a very secretive and inconspicuous way of life, its numbers until now have only an approximate value. Therefore, it is still a problem for scientists to accurately count the number of anacondas in a particular region.

50. The dynamics of the population is also poorly monitored, and the Red Book indicates that there is no threat of extinction of the species. According to a number of scientists, the anaconda does not belong to animals that are threatened with extermination.

Anaconda (water boa) - a large non-venomous snake, belongs to the class of reptiles, the scaly order, the suborder of snakes, the infraorder lower snakes, the false-legged family, the subfamily, the genus of anaconda ( 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 the Tamil word, consonant with 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 is a 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. Rumors about the capture of anacondas 9-11 m long are regarded by some scientists as false. Although the Soviet books indicate a different maximum length of this snake - 11.43 meters (Akimushkin I. "The World of Animals", "The Life of Animals", edited by Zenkevich, vol. 4, part 2).

Like all reptiles, the axial skeleton of the anaconda is divided into a body and a tail, consisting of vertebrae, the number of which can be 435 pieces.

The ribs of the snake are movable and diverge widely when swallowing large prey.

The skull of the anaconda 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 a potential victim.

The snake's eyes are protected by transparent scales (lids) and are adapted to track the movement of objects rather than focus images.

Anaconda teeth are long and sharp, but contain no venom. 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 skin of the anaconda is dense and dry, shiny due to glossy scales.

The molting of the reptile occurs according to the principle of “turned inside out stocking” - the snake molts in a single layer at a time.

The body of the anaconda is evenly colored grayish green, yellowish or olive.

There are 2 rows of large dark spots along the spine - a classic example of disguise, perfectly hiding the snake against the background of the water surface and dark aquatic vegetation.

How long does an anaconda live?

Like most large snakes (and boas), anacondas grow throughout their life cycle, the first years are especially intensive, and when mature, they grow much more slowly. It is not known exactly how long the anaconda lives in natural conditions, but in captivity the average age of the snake is 5-6 years. The maximum recorded lifespan of the anaconda was 28 years.

Where does the anaconda live?

Anacondas live on the island of Trinidad, as well as throughout the tropics of South America: the range covers countries such as Venezuela and Peru, Brazil and eastern Paraguay, Ecuador, northern Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana and Guiana. A typical environment where the anaconda lives is quiet river channels with a weak current, river backwaters and swamps. If the reservoir dries up, the anaconda snake moves downstream along the riverbed or burrows into the silt and falls into suspended animation before the onset of the rainy season.

These huge snakes are excellent swimmers, because they spend almost their entire lives in the water, occasionally crawling ashore to bask in the sun, or climb trees, wrapping their bodies around lower branches.

What does the anaconda eat?

At the bottom of the river, the anaconda sheds its old skin, hunts in the same place or lies in wait for prey near the shore. The anaconda is a non-venomous snake, and it is characterized by a hunting method common to all boas: the snake motionlessly guards the prey, and then makes a sharp throw, wraps around the victim with a muscular body and strangles. But it does not press or break the animal's bones, as boas usually do. As a result, the victim of the anaconda dies of suffocation. Also, the snake can grab prey with its teeth.

The anaconda feeds on various types of mammals and reptiles, fish in the snake's menu occupies the least significant part.

Agoutis, iguanas and other waterfowl, as well as some large animals: capybaras, peccaries, young caimans, capybaras, and tupinambis, including rather large pythons, serve as food for her.

Illegible anacondas practice cannibalism. Also, small domestic animals often become victims of giant snakes:, and.

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

Anaconda - photos, types and names

The anaconda genus includes 4 modern types of snakes:

  • Giant anaconda (common anaconda, green anaconda)(Eunectes murinus)

the largest species of anacondas with a body length of about 5-6 meters. The body of the snake is gray-green in color, the back is covered with 2 rows of large brown spots of a round or oval shape, arranged in a checkerboard pattern. A series of small yellow round marks with a black border runs along the lateral surface of the snake's body. The giant anaconda lives in the tropical zone of South America from Brazil and Paraguay to Bolivia, Peru and the island of Trinidad. The snake prefers slow-flowing, muddy backwaters and shallow lakes of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins.




  • Paraguayan anaconda, she is southern or yellow anaconda(Eunectes notaeus)

has a length of 2 to 4 meters. Most representatives of the species are yellow in 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 middle. The Paraguayan anaconda lives in the stagnant or low-flowing waters of Paraguay, northern Argentina and southern Bolivia.


  • Eunectes beniensis

a snake resembling the Paraguayan anaconda in appearance, 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 back color and a gray-brown-yellow color of the lower body. The pattern is represented by 5 longitudinal dark stripes on the head and hundreds of evenly dark spots on the back. This species of anaconda inhabits swamps and humid forests in the northeast of Bolivia and, possibly, in the adjacent territories of Brazil.


  • Anaconda Deschauensea(Eunectes deschauenseei)

a rare, little-studied species, whose representatives are relatively small in size: the length of an adult anaconda is 1.3-1.9 meters. The snake lives in a swampy area in the northeast of Brazil and in Guiana.


Anaconda is a snake from a separate genus of anacondas, a subfamily of boas, a scaly order, a class of reptiles.

Along with the python and the boa constrictor, the anaconda is one of the largest snakes in the world, its length is from 5 to 6 meters, and its weight is about 100 kg. The largest of the currently known has a length of about 9 meters, weight 130 kg.

The civilized world, relatively recently, learned about the existence of the anaconda - this viviparous snake that lives in the jungles of South America.

Lifestyle and habitat

The anaconda lives in the remote, inaccessible jungles of the tropical part of South America in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, northeast Peru, Ecuador and northern Bolivia, eastern Paraguay and Guyana, French Guiana and the island of Trinidad, and it was not possible to study it at all so long ago. People learned the basic information about this large snake only in 1992, when the biologist Jesus Rivas, together with a group of scientists, studied the anaconda in its habitat, not far from Venezuela.

The body of the anaconda is designed so that with a thickness of its body of 14-15 cm, it swallows quite a large prey whole, and then its body stretches to the size of the animal that it swallowed. The color of these snakes is varied and depends on the species. There are grayish green, there are yellow, light brown and almost dark. The skin is scaly with rounded darker patches arranged in a checkerboard pattern. This coloration helps the anaconda to perfectly camouflage among coastal plants and algae.

Anaconda is ideally adapted to life in the water. Its long powerful body, consisting of only muscles, wriggling in the water like a powerful propeller, gives it the ability to swim quickly both on the surface of the water and in depth. Moreover, when it swims, the eyes and nostrils remain on the surface like those of crocodiles, and when immersed in water, the nostrils are closed with special valves. Eyes closed with a transparent protective film under water remain open, and she sees everything even in muddy water. The ability to slow down the heartbeat while using less oxygen allows her to stay underwater for long periods of time.

Anaconda is a carnivorous predator and feeds only on animal food. It eats everything it comes across. These are wild animals: tapirs, peccaries, turtles, small crocodiles and waterfowl. Often attacks domestic animals coming to the watering place: sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, geese, ducks and even dogs. It can hunt both in water and on land. In the water, usually the anaconda, hiding, waits for the victim, and when it is close, it rushes at it. In other cases, having good hearing, the anaconda, being under water, can hear the sounds of animals that have come to the watering place for a hundred meters, quietly swim up, and then rush at the unsuspecting animal with a lightning throw. While on land, these cunning snakes can lurk on a trail leading to a watering hole, or perch on thick, low-lying tree branches and, when the animal approaches, rush at it.

The anaconda does not have fangs or chewing teeth, they are not needed. But located almost at the same level, a continuous row of teeth works like a powerful vice. Once in such a vise, not a single creature can escape. Holding the prey, the anaconda wraps its body around it with multiple rings and strangles it until the victim stops breathing. After that, the anaconda swallows the prey whole, pulling on it like a stocking on a leg, stretching its mouth and throat. After that, the loaded anaconda looks for a secluded place and lies down for several days digesting food. One such serving of anaconda is enough for several weeks. Then she goes hunting again. It is not customary for these snakes to reckon with kinship, they can devour each other.

When the anaconda is full, it loves to soak up the sun, exposing its round sides to it. By this, it kind of warms up the blood, because like all reptiles it is a cold-blooded creature. But far from the reservoir, it does not crawl away and soon plunges into the water. If the lake suddenly dries up during the dry season, it tries to find a new body of water or burrows into the mud and bottom silt, moving into an anabiotic state, in which it remains until the first rains.

Anaconda leads an isolated, solitary lifestyle, but during the mating season, these snakes gather in groups for mating. Females are larger in size than males. Anaconda gives birth to live serpents. 7-8 months after the mating events, the female gives birth to forty or more small anacondas 50-80 cm long. Immediately after birth, the cubs are able to swim and get their own food. However, they often become prey for many animals and birds, and quite a few of them survive.

Rarely does anyone dare to attack an adult anaconda, therefore, among animals in nature, the anaconda has practically no enemies. Who wants to fight this big snake, which also has incredible strength. After all, the weight of a nine-meter anaconda can reach up to 200 kg! A snake of this size easily copes with a small cow. What can we say about a pig or a dog!

With such an impressive size, the anaconda is able to move silently and go unnoticed. In those places where she lives, the inhabitants of these areas are careful and attentive, believing that the anaconda can attack and kill. Attacks are very rare, and they fall into the category of exceptions. As observations show, the anaconda, in other matters, like all other snakes, sensing the approach of a person, is in a hurry to get out in the other direction. Obviously an exaggeration can be considered the stories of some eyewitnesses about their meeting with anacondas with a body length of 12 meters or more. Tales about the hypnotic abilities of the anaconda, which allegedly hypnotizes its victim with a glance, are also fabulous.

Anaconda is still considered a little studied reptile. In many countries, for the purpose of studying, they are kept in serpentaria, where they are under constant supervision. There are several cases of anacondas breeding in captivity. The life span of the anaconda in natural conditions has not been established, but in terrariums they live up to 20 years.

Types of anaconda

Four species are currently known: Green, Yellow, Dark and Bolivian. All of them lead a generally similar lifestyle, the differences are mainly in their size, color and habitat.

Green or giant anaconda, lat. Eunectes murinus. It is the largest of all. Its length can be more than 9 meters. It is especially common in the Amazon in Brazil, and around the Orinoco River in Colombia. Often found in the meadows of Llanos in Venezuela, in Ecuador and Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia, Guiana and Peru. Occasionally, green anacondas have been seen in Florida. The color of this anaconda is green-olive on the back, yellowish on the belly. Dark, sometimes almost black spots stand out on the back and sides. The scales of the skin are large in front, decreasing towards the tail.

Paraguayan or yellow anaconda, lat. Eunectes notaeus. The second largest after green. There are individuals reaching a length of 4.5 meters. They live in Paraguay, in Northern Argentina, are found in Bolivia. The yellow anaconda usually chooses places with high humidity: small lakes, swamps, overgrown banks of small rivers and streams. Often found in seasonally flooded areas. It feeds on fish, turtles, lizards, small caimans, waterfowl. Sometimes steals bird eggs. The Paraguayan anaconda is a solitary snake. A pair is formed only in April - May. It is an object of intense hunting due to the beautiful leather used for haberdashery, as well as meat, which is considered a delicacy.

Dark anaconda or Anaconda Deschauenseya, lat. Eunectes deschauenseei. It lives in the northern regions of Brazil, on the coast in French Guiana, is found in Guyana. Relatively small compared to others. Usually its length is slightly less than 2 meters, but some individuals up to 4 meters or more came across. It prefers to settle in hard-to-reach places, therefore it is little studied.

Lat. Eunectes beniensis or Beni's anaconda is a medium-sized boa constrictor, usually about 4 meters long. It lives in tropical forests in the Beni River Valley in Bolivia. Anaconda Beni is a rare species that is not common in other regions of South America, so it became known about it only in 2002. Scientists have not yet decided whether to consider it a separate species or classify it in the Paraguayan anaconda.

Anaconda, like all boas, are still mysterious creatures that people treat negatively and consider it one of the most dangerous and unpredictable predators. Even the origin of its name is still controversial. It is believed that the name "anaconda" appeared in South America from the Tamil phrase "copra" - which means a killer, and "yane" - an elephant. In other versions, this word is translated as a bolt of lightning and others. All these names come from the homeland of these snakes. The largest anaconda in the world, with a length of 11.43 m, was caught in the swampy area of ​​Colombia. At the moment, a green anaconda lives in the New York Zoological Society, about 9 meters in length and weighing 130 kg.

Difference from boas and pythons

Despite the general external similarity, the anaconda differs from other types of boas and from pythons. All these snakes belong to the Scaly order, but the boa constrictor is a representative of the false-legged family, and the python is from the python family. All of them are not poisonous and use one way of eating food, swallowing the prey whole. Boas are found mainly in Europe and Asia, although they are found in Madagascar, the Fiji Islands and New Guinea. There are about 60 types of them. This is what an emerald boa constrictor looks like.

Water boas live only in South America, these are all the four types of anacondas listed above: green, Bolivian, Paraguayan and dark.

Pythons live in Asia, India, China and Indochina, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippine Islands. In total there are about 22 species. The largest of these is the reticulated python. The largest known now in the Japanese Zoological Garden, its length is 12.2 m, and its weight is more than 200 kg.

The essential difference between pythons and boas is the reproduction of offspring. Boa constrictors give birth to live cubs, and pythons lay eggs, from which cubs then hatch. Both boas and pythons, like most reptiles, are slow creatures in normal situations, but during the hunt they almost immediately rush to the victim. They have developed night vision, a good sense of smell. In addition, they have the property of thermolocation, due to which they detect a living being in the dark.

In recent years, quite a few lovers of exotic animals have appeared, which they keep at home. They also include pythons, boas and anacondas, which are kept in special terrariums. Although it is not uncommon for these huge snakes to break free and bring a lot of trouble. In some Asian countries, such as India, Thailand, Cambodia, locals tame these huge snakes. They keep them in basements and provide them with food. Getting used to the owners and taking root in the house, these snakes protect the home from poisonous snakes, scorpions, phalanxes, rats and other wild animals. A house that has its own python usually costs significantly more. Be that as it may, despite their negative characteristics and the generally negative attitude of people towards them, one has to admit that anacondas, as equals, occupy a certain place among other representatives of the earth's flora.

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

True, such anaconda snake length has not yet been scientifically established. So far, only the anaconda, whose length was 9 meters, has been found and noted, which, of course, is not 11 meters, but even such snake sizes make one shudder. By the way, female snakes are much larger and stronger than males.

Why "water beauty"? Because the anaconda has another name - a water boa. It is in the water, in shallow water, that she manages to catch prey most easily and remain unnoticed. And nature took care of the conspiracy of the anaconda. The skin color of this snake is gray-green, brown spots are located on the back, which go in a checkerboard pattern.

The spots do not have a strictly defined shape - nature does not like geometry, and the snake has every chance to go unnoticed with such an “incorrect” color. In order to merge even more with the water covered with fallen leaves, there are small yellowish spots with a dark border on the sides of the body.

Skin coloration is unique for each individual, so it will not work to find two completely identical anacondas. Since the anaconda is a boa constrictor, it is endowed with great strength. She has no poison, in this respect she is harmless, but woe to those who treat her lightly - even a medium-sized deer can become prey.

This reptile is endowed not only with strength, but also with intelligence and, even, deceit. Animals and some people take her protruding, forked tongue for a dangerous organ, believing that it is with its help that a fatal bite will be inflicted. But so the snake simply orients itself in space. The tongue recognizes the chemical component of the environment and gives a command to the brain.

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

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

anaconda habitat

Anaconda dwells throughout the tropical South. They are quite comfortable in canals, rivers, lakes, inhabited the Amazon and Orinoco, and are on the island of Trinidad.

Savanna Llanos (Central Venezuela) turned out to be a snake paradise at all - the six-month rainy period creates an ideal place for living and breeding anacondas, which is why there are much more anacondas in those places than anywhere else. The local lagoons and swamps are superbly warmed by the sun, which further adds favorable conditions to this anaconda snake world.

Anaconda food

The diet of this boa constrictor is varied. Anaconda eats all the small animals that can be caught. Fish, small rodents, waterfowl, lizards and turtles are eaten.

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

At first, it lies in wait for its prey for a long time, hiding among the coastal thickets, then a sharp jerk follows, and immediately rings are wound around the poor fellow, which compress the body of the victim with extraordinary force.

The anaconda does not break, does not crush bones, as other boas do, it squeezes 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. Her seemingly small mouth stretches to the size that is necessary for the passage of the carcass. At the same time, the throat is also stretched. 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 attack on a person, this snake has firmly established itself in the section of dangerous animals. By the way, the anaconda is not averse to eating with its fellow tribesmen. So, in the zoo, a 2.5 meter python got into her menu.

During the swallowing of the victim, the anaconda is most vulnerable. This is understandable - all her strength goes into pushing food inward, her head is busy, and slipping away with a large piece in her mouth at lightning speed will not work. 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 the wild has not been precisely established by scientists, but in captivity the anaconda does not live long, only 5-6 years. However, this figure is also untrue, because there was a snake that lived in captivity for 28 years. Anaconda is not the right size snake to live in a pack. Like other large predators, she 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 at the anacondas. In order for the "groom" not to wander for too long in search, the "bride" leaves a trace on the ground, which during this period is generously flavored with an odorous substance - pheromone.

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

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

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

But the offspring, nevertheless, is safely born. Kites are born from 30 to 42, they are all live births. Although, the anaconda is capable of laying eggs. Cubs are born only a little more than half a meter long, but they must already worry about their own food.

After giving birth, the mother, who has been in a hungry state for six months, goes hunting. Of course, mothers from anacondas are far from the most reverent, she does not feed them, does not protect them from predators, does not give them a nest. Little serpents are endowed with all the survival skills from birth. They swim superbly, can skillfully disguise 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 has practically no enemies and eats caimans and small wild cats with impunity, then these same cats now hunt anaconda cubs.

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

Anaconda versus python in a fight is likely to win, unless, of course, it faces the world's longest snake, the reticulated python, in battle. But here, too, her chances of winning are much higher, since she, slightly inferior to him in length, is significantly superior in weight.

A large anaconda is able to cope with a young crocodile. Against an adult, massive, large specimen, of course, she will not survive, in a fight with him she will be in the role of prey. But it can handle a small crocodile without much difficulty, and therefore it is quite capable of feasting on it.

Anaconda is a vertebrate animal from the class of reptiles, belongs to the genus of snakes from the subfamily of boas and lives in the tropical latitudes of South America. This snake feels great in fresh water, and therefore prefers to spend as much time as possible in the aquatic environment, for which it received the name water boa. Since it belongs to the subfamily of boas, the snake is not poisonous: it strangles its prey.

At the moment, the following types of anacondas have been discovered:

  • Giant - the largest snake in the world, more than five meters long, lives in tropical latitudes and settles in swamps and large rivers;
  • Paraguayan - no more than three meters long, lives in closed low-flow reservoirs. In addition to Paraguay, lives in Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil;
  • Deshauercea - lives in the northwestern part of Brazil;
  • Eunectes beniensis is a snake about four meters long, representatives of this species are similar to the Paraguayan anaconda and it is likely that in the future it will become its subspecies. It was discovered in Bolivia in 2002 and is currently under study.

Description

Anaconda is considered one of the largest representatives of the genus of snakes in the world: the length of the longest measured anaconda is 5.2 meters, and the weight is 97.5 kg (females are larger than males). There is a lot of information about larger specimens, whose size exceeds ten meters, but these data are not confirmed by anything, and are very doubtful. It is worth noting that the anaconda against the reticulated python is inferior in length (according to the Guinness book, the maximum length of the python is 9.75 meters), but still wins in mass.

Anaconda has a greenish-gray color with large rounded or oblong brown spots that alternate in a checkerboard pattern (this coloring hides the hunting snake very well). Speaking about the anaconda, it will be interesting that, like other snakes, she sheds her old skin, but does this without leaving the reservoir: she rubs against its bottom.

Although the sounds of anacondas are practically not heard, they have a very well-developed nervous system, so they feel various vibrations in the environment with their whole body.

But as for vision, the snake periodically goes blind: instead of eyelids, there are motionless transparent scales on its eyes, which, when the snake begins to molt, become cloudy, blocking the view. Speaking about the anaconda, it should be borne in mind that she, being a snake, does not blink, so there is an opinion that she hypnotizes her prey.

Lifestyle

One of the interesting facts about the anaconda is that it is almost always in the water, and tries to go to the coast as little as possible: it swims excellently and is able to stay under water for a long time, and in order not to suffocate, its nostrils block during the dive valves. She prefers to swim in reservoirs or with a very calm current, or without it at all.

A boa constrictor gets out on the shore mainly to bask in the sun, for this it even sometimes climbs trees. Speaking about the anaconda, it should be borne in mind that it moves, like all snakes: the main role in this process is played by tenacious scales located on the abdomen, as well as the muscles of the body.


Once on land, the snake does not move far from the water, and if the reservoir dries up, or moves to another, or goes down the river. If, during a drought, it is not possible to change the reservoir, the boa constrictor burrows into the silt located at the bottom of the reservoir, after which it falls into a stupor until the start of the rainy period.

Nutrition

Like all boas, the anaconda is not poisonous: having attacked the victim, it embraces it, from which the animal rarely succeeds in escaping. Its grip is so strong that even one of the most formidable predators in the world, a crocodile, is able to become its victim (although an adult large-sized crocodile will get rid of the grip and, most likely, will eat it itself).

The largest snake in the world eats various reptiles, small mammals that come to drink. Usually these are rodents, turtles, waterfowl, lizards. Larger individuals can eat capybaras, peccaries, small crocodiles (up to two meters), there is even a case when a large anaconda managed to eat a 2.5-meter python. They may well eat representatives of their own species.

Having sensed the prey, the snake freezes in the water and becomes motionless. After the victim approaches, the boa constrictor pounces on it with lightning speed and strangles it, completely cutting off oxygen by immobilizing the chest, so the victim dies from suffocation.

After that, the snake eats it whole, greatly stretching its mouth and throat. Like all snakes, its mouth is very well stretched with the help of an elastic ligament connecting the right and left sides of the lower jaw, which are connected to the skull by bones, the ends of which provide them with rotational movement. Thanks to this, the largest snake in the world is able to swallow an animal that is much larger than it (for example, a young crocodile).

reproduction

Speaking about the anaconda, it should be borne in mind that they are solitary animals, but when the mating period begins, they gather in flocks (this happens during the beginning of the rainy season). At this time, several males are usually located near one female at once, and, like other snakes, when mating, they are woven into a ball of several individuals.

Anaconda is ovoviviparous: it bears eggs inside the body, while the cubs mainly receive food not from the body of the snake, but from the egg. Before being born, serpents leave the egg shell while still in the mother's body. The female bears cubs for about six to seven months and she loses weight almost twice during this time.

The female gives birth to 28 to 42 cubs with a length of 50 to 80 cm, sometimes their number can reach up to a hundred. Immediately after birth, molting begins, so the serpent does not eat anything at this time. When the molt ends, the baby is already able to swim, mine, and feed on its own. At this time, small anacondas are extremely vulnerable, and they are eaten by birds, crocodiles and other predators.

Anaconda Enemies

If we talk about the anaconda, it must be borne in mind that this boa constrictor is so strong that it has practically no rivals among snakes (an anaconda against a python can easily withstand a fight). Sometimes a jaguar or a large crocodile can attack her. A large individual is rarely attacked: the crocodile usually attacks and eats kites or weakened males after mating. Two cases were recorded when an adult male crocodile managed to cope with female anacondas (such situations are the exception rather than the rule).

Despite the fact that the boa constrictor eats many mammals, rumors about the anaconda as a snake that feeds on humans are greatly exaggerated. A boa constrictor of this species rarely attacks a person (despite the fact that the boa constrictor is longer, the person is vertically relative to the surface, and therefore she may consider him too large a prey for herself).

Recorded single cases of attacks on humans, caused by the fact that the snake sees only a part of the body that it is able to cope with, or believes that they want to take away food from it. And then, she will attack a person sluggishly, reluctantly, rather trying to intimidate in the hope that he will leave. The only case when it is known for sure that an anaconda managed to eat a person is the death of an Indian teenager.

Since the snake lives in hard-to-reach impassable places, if there were cases that caused death, there was usually no one to fix them.

It is man who is the most serious enemy for an adult anaconda: the Indians hunt her because of the skin that goes to textiles and haberdashery, as well as meat. Hunting for anacondas in the countries where they live is not prohibited, since it is believed that there are quite a lot of them, and they give numerous offspring. It is difficult to say exactly how many anacondas are in the world, since they prefer to live in difficult places where the human foot steps as little as possible.