![]() Now, after 20+ years with the Bronx Zoo, I am a consultant for several zoos and museums. Research has taken me in pursuit of anacondas, Orinoco crocodiles and other animals in locales ranging from Venezuela’s llanos to Tortuguero’s beaches. After a detour as a lawyer, I was hired as a Bronx Zoo animal keeper and was soon caring for gharials, goliath frogs, king cobras and everything in-between. Jobs with pet stores and importers had me caring for a fantastic assortment of reptiles and amphibians. National Geographic Video of an Anaconda capturing a Capybara.īeing born with a deep interest in animals might seem unfortunate for a native Bronxite, but my family encouraged my interest and the menagerie that sprung from it. Hunting Anacondas in the Venezuelan LlanosĪnaconda Expert Wades Barefoot in Venezuela’s Swamps You can read more about the research mentioned above in these articles: Newborn Green Anacondas are secretive and rarely seen little is known of their natural history. Gravid females bask far more frequently than do others, and may consume the fetal membrane and infertile eggs passed with the young. Examples from animals under my care: a 20-foot-long female gave birth to 50 young averaging 3 feet in length a 13-footer produced a dozen youngsters averaging 24 inches. ![]() The size and number of young are related to the size and health of the mother. Green Anacondas give birth to 10-100 live young after a gestation period of approximately 6 months. Successful males may introduce a waxy plug into the cloaca in an attempt to assure paternity. Spurs alongside the cloaca are rubbed against the female to help elicit copulation. Several males (2-12) coil about a single female, drawn by the pheromones she releases. LongevityĬaptives have lived in excess of 31 years unknown in the wild Reproduction They are also threatened by the expansion of farms and ranches. Status is difficult to ascertain due to the nature of the habitat, but declines have been documented listed on CITES Appendix II.įeared and often killed when encountered, Green Anacondas are hunted in some areas for their skin and fat (believed to be of medicinal value). They inhabit rivers, swamps, lakes and flooded grasslands. Green Anacondas are almost completely aquatic and rarely stray far from water. Trinidad and much of tropical South America east of the Andes – Venezuela, Columbia, Brazil, Northern Bolivia, Northeastern Peru, Guyana and French Guiana. The eyes and nostrils are dorsally located, an adaptation to the largely aquatic lifestyle. ![]() The ventral surface is yellow with black blotches. The dorsal surface is dark green, olive or grayish-green and marked with irregular black blotches. A captive male under my care was, however, as heavily built as any female and measured in excess of 15 feet colleagues report similar experiences. Wild males rarely exceed 12 feet in length, and are thinly built. In the course of tagging over 500 specimens, the largest I and my co-workers encountered in Western Venezuela was just over 17 feet long and tipped the scale at 215 pounds. There is a fairly reliable record of a 33-foot-long Green Anaconda an unverified field report from Eastern Columbia (1944) claims an individual of 37.5 feet. In the past, 25-foot-long animals were encountered, but an individual approaching 20 feet is considered large today. It vies with the Reticulated Python for the title of longest serpent. DescriptionĪ stout animal that may exceed 400 pounds in weight, this is the world’s heaviest snake. While I cannot recommend a potentially deadly behemoth as a pet, interest in them is always high…today I’ll highlight the natural history of this impressive giant. Working with Green Anacondas ( Eunectes murinus) in the Bronx Zoo and participating in a capture/tagging project in Venezuela was a childhood dream come true.
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