How Do Anacondas Work?

muscular coils below the water surface. That's why anacondas are also called water boas the shoe fits, or it would if they had any feet. Apart from the green anaconda, science recognizes three other species, the yellow anaconda, the darkly spotted anaconda, and the Bolivian anaconda. All four belong to the Boa family, and they're all South American natives by every metric, though the green anaconda stands out. Not only is it the biggest member of the water Boa quartet,

but it's arguably the biggest snake in the world. Yet trying to pin down the animal's maximum size is fraught with challenges. Folklore is packed with stories about monster snakes extending a hundred feet or thirty meters long. The fossil record tells us that a colossal serpent really did slither across the continent sixty million years ago, Named Titanaboa, it's thought to have reached fifty feet that's fifteen meters in overall length, and to have weighed approximately two and a

half tons. But the long and short of it is that green anacondas are nowhere near that size. A common length for this species is about twenty feet or six meters, although male anaconda's, being the smaller of the two sexes, rarely exceed thirteen feet or four meters. The biggest anaconda ever reliably documented was twenty seven point two feet that's eight point three meters long. Yet rumors of anaconda's growing two or three times larger persist, and some claims hinge

on enormous skins cut from dead snakes. The problem is those are really easy to distort, even if you're not trying to Herpetologist William H. Lamar proved this point in ninety eight when he killed a wild anaconda of ample size. The freshly slaying corpse was a respectable twenty four point six ft or seven and a half meters long After

he skinned the reptile, Lamar measured its disembodied hide. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't avoid stretching out the skin as he worked, which gave it a post mortem length of thirty four point six feet or ten and a half meters. The biggest and bulkiest green anaconda can weigh four hundred and forty pounds that's two hundred kilos or more so. As a species, it's considered the world heaviest snak, but not necessarily the longest lengthwise, the Asian reticulated python

probably hasn't beat. According to the New Encyclopedia of Snakes by one Chris Madison, there have been several authenticated reports of these pythons measure about twenty eight feet that's eight and a half meters from end to end. But back to anaconda's they have an affinity for slow moving rivers, muddy swamps, and seasonally flooded plains. They seldom venture far away from flowing or standing water, although some species may

choose to hunt in forests on occasion. And not only did the snakes have eyeballs situated on the tops of their heads, but their nostrils are also located in this region. Thus, a swimming or soaking anaconda can easily see and spell what's going on above the water, which makes finding and

capturing prey a whole lot easier. Anaconda's killed by constriction, using their jaws to seize the victim before immobilizing it by tightly wrapping the animal in coils of their own body, and naturalists used to think that snakes that use this technique wereb in effect strangling their prey. However, according to new research involving the red tailed boa, the real cause of death is cardiac arrest. Wild anaconda's feed online for dead fish, lizards, birds, bird eggs, other snakes, and a

variety of mammals. Adults have been known to swallow up caymans, which are feisty crocodilians related to alligators. Another notable beast often eaten by large anacondas is the capybara, Earth's biggest rodents. Capybaras are shaggy, infamously friendly, web footed herbivores that stand about one and a half feet that's half a meter tall. Being amphibious, capybaras regularly cross paths with anacondas, and the

mammals know how to put up a fight. Older anacondas sometimes display bite wounds left by capybaras that they've attacked. And for green anacondas anyway, and for green anacondas anyway, cannibalism isn't out of the question. At least four cases have been observed. At this point, you may be wondering

if people are on the menu too. There's little doubt that a sufficiently big green anaconda could kill and eat a human being, yet no such incident has ever been confirmed that said anaconda's, like most creatures, will defend themselves if cornered. While none of these snakes are venomous, they can inflict deep bite wounds. The snakes may also secrete a foul smelling liquid when distressed. Probably just don't mess with them. Among reptile keepers, anacondas aren't nearly as popular

as red tailed boas or big pythons. They need huge enclosures, high humidity levels, and water dishes large enough for the snakes to use as soaking pools and captive bread. Individuals that have been handled all of their lives do tend to be more docile than anacondas captured in the wild. Even so, you shouldn't get an anaconda of any species unless you're an experienced reptile hobbyist who understands large constrictors. In twelve, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service banned

the importation and interstate transport of the yellow anaconda. Growing up to fifteen feet that's four and a half meters long. This snake could potentially threaten all sorts of native species, and as the US Geological Survey report, free ranging yellow anacondas have been sighted in Florida and Arkansas. Those snakes were most likely former pets. Anacondas don't belong in the Everglades or the Arkansas Delta, but in their natural habitat,

these reptiles are fascinating to watch. During the breeding season, several male anacondas may attempt to mate with a single female at the same time, the result being a breeding ball with as many as thirteen love lorn male snakes vying for attention around the lone female. Like most BoA's, anacondas give birth to live young, with litters containing anywhere from four to eighty two baby snakes, and we now know the green anacondas don't necessarily need mates to get pregnant.

In one female kept at a British reptile park birth three live babies, even though she had never been kept with a male of her species. A near identical situation unfolded at the New England Aquarium in twenty nineteen, known as parthenogenesis. This style of a sexual reproduction has also been observed in commodo dragons and Burmese pythons. Today's episode is based on the article the Watery World of the Monster Anaconda on how stuffworks dot Com, written by Mark Mancini.

Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com is produced by Tyler Clang. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.