If you look in the records
there is a lot of controversy over which snake holds the world's record
for massive size. The dimensions that have earned the anaconda the
title of king is its total body massor its weight (the sheer physical bulk of it). The other snake
that competes with the anaconda is the Asiatic Reticulated Python
(Python reticulatus). The python holds the world's record for
length of a snake, with the longest ever measured at 33 feet. Even
though the longest python is longer than the record-holding anaconda,
the girth of the anaconda is far bigger. Anacondas in the jungles
of South America can grow as big around as a grown man!
If you've seen the stories circulating around the
Internet about the world's biggest snake being held in captivity in
Indonesia (back in 2003), then get
the straight dope on snopes.com.
The Secret Life
of an Anaconda
Anacondas
in the wild spend most of their time hanging out in rivers hunting for
their food. They are solitary creatures that are somewhat shy and not
many of them are easily seen. They are very well camouflaged in the
swamps and bogs in which they thrive. There are some historical reports
of early European explorers of the South American jungles seeing giant
anacondas up to 100 feet long and some of the native peoples of the
South American jungle have reported seeing anacondas up to 50 feet long.
No one has caught and measured an anaconda anywhere near that
size. It is important to note that when a dead anaconda's hide or skin
is laid out it can be stretched very easily, expanding to much longer
lengths than the snake exhibited when alive. Reports of outsize anacondas
that cannot be verified are usually due to distortions in perception,
or a snake skin being disproportionately stretched and inaccurately
measured. People are generally really bad at estimating length, especially
for larger snakes. In fact, the larger the snake, the larger the margin
of error.
Anacondas like to hang out in rivers
so it would be difficult to estimate the length of one seen swimming,
without seeing the entire snake. It's the anaconda's ability to
remain partly hidden in the water that makes it difficult to accurately
find (and document) a specimen that exceeds the current world's
record. (Would you want to jump in the water after a giant
anaconda to try and measure a snake big enough to kill you?) Read about a scientist who does wade into
the swamps to capture giant anacondas in the wild and study them...
Killer
Snake
Anacondas
are members of the boa constrictor family of snakes. That means that
they kill their prey by coiling their large, powerful bodies around
their victims and squeezing until their prey suffocates or is crushed
to death and dies from internal bleeding. Then the snake unhinges
its jaw and swallows the victim whole. Anacondas are much more likely
to eat aquatic creatures, such as fish. Occasionally they have been
known to eat: caimans (a relative of the alligator), other snakes,
deer, and even jaguars. Anacondas are rather slow-moving snakes, so
they have to rely on stealth and the element of surprise to catch
their unsuspecting prey.
Just about every species
of snake on earth has teeth, but the anacondas' teeth are not used
for chewing. Snakes' teeth are used for holding onto their prey,
preventing them from escaping. Some snakes have venom in two specially
designed, extra long teeth (called fangs) which they use to kill
their prey. Anacondas have teeth, but they are not a venomous snake.
They rely on their enormous size and power to subdue their victims.
It is possible to be bitten by an anaconda, but the bite itself
would not be fatal.
Snakes
as Pets
For many people, snakes
are a slithering, terrifying creature to be avoided at all costs,
while others harbor a grim fascination or even fondness for them.
Many people keep snakes as pets, including anacondas and reticulated
pythons. Like any other pet, snakes can be a big responsibility
that should be taken seriously. If you choose to keep a snake in
captivity you must accept responsibility for its care and feeding,
as well as preventing it from escaping into the wild. If you are
one of those people who thinks it would be really cool to have a
pet snake you can visit these websites for more information:
Bloated
and beginning to decompose, an anaconda emits an awful stench...
Location: In rivers that
feed into the Amazon River in South
America.
Facts: The largest anaconda
ever measured was almost 28 feet long with a girth of 44 inches.
She wasn't weighed at the time she was caught, but scientists
estimate that she must have weighed over 500 lbs.
