Anaconda

(Jrt)

Anaconda
The anacondas (Eunectes sp.) Aquatic snakes are not venomous constrictor of the family boas. They include four species that are found in swamps and rivers in tropical regions of South America and in the swamps south of the island of Trinidad. The yellow anaconda can be found to Argentina.

Perhaps names and alternatives
There are three possible origins for the anaconda word: it might be an alteration of the word Sinhalese henakanday (thunder snake), or the word Tamil anaikondran (killer elephant). It is surprising that the word had an origin of the place as remote habitat of the animal, it may be that the name is linked to the vague similarity of the anaconda with pythons Asia. However, it would appear that the term "anaconda" comes from the Amazonian Indians and means "snake warrior."

The scientific name of the genus Eunectes derives from the ancient Greek word for "good swimmer."

The South Americans also called sucuri anaconda, or yakumama jibóia. The Spanish settlers of South America called matatoro, the killer bull.

Taxonomy
Of the four species, the two most prominent are:

* The green anaconda or large anaconda (Eunectes murinus, formerly called Boa murina). Without reaching the length of reticulated python, here the longest snake, it is considerably heavier. It can weigh up to 250 kg and have a diameter of 30 cm. This is the kind of the heaviest snake. The females are larger than males, measuring on average between 6 and 8 m, while males are from 3.70 m to 5.50 m. They are mainly found in the north of South America, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, in the north of Bolivia, in northeastern Peru, Guyana, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad. These impressive aspect of anacondas were little known until 1992, when the first (and so far the only) study was dedicated to this species in Venezuela by Dr. Jesus Rivas;
* The yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), which is 3 m in adulthood. The snakes of this species live farther south, in Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil western and north-eastern Argentina.

Both species are less widely known:

* The anaconda of Deschauense (Eunectes deschauenseei) discovered in northeastern Brazil;
* The Bolivian anaconda (Eunectes beniensis) discovered in Bolivia, which was only identified in 2002 by Lutz Dirksen, and it is still under investigation.


Physical characteristics and behavioral

* The green anaconda boa differs from his nose covered with shields rather than small scales. It is usually brown-dark olive, with two rows of large alternating black spots on the top of the body and small spots shaped white eye on the sides. The underside is white, flecked with black. The living environment in which the anaconda is both tree and water, and it is active mainly at night. It is immersed in water, with only a small part of the head above the surface, the slightest guettant suitable prey. It may also get caught on the branches of a tree above the water. On land, the anaconda can move retaining his body right, following a course straight. Thanks to powerful muscle belly, the animal builds on the scales headed backwards and in contact with the ground, allowing it to push her body forward. But he could not stay long on earth, because his skin was covered with ticks.

* The eyes and nostrils of the anaconda are positioned on the top of the head, allowing him to breathe and see his prey while his bulky body remains submerged beneath the surface. The anaconda snake is a constrictor and non-venomous. However, it has teeth and jaws powerful it uses to hold on to its prey it causes under water to drown.

* It feeds mostly on large rodents, tapirs, capybaras, deer, peccaries, fish, turtles, birds, sheep, dogs and aquatic reptiles like caimans. It was pointed attacks on jaguars and humans, but it remains rare. The young anacondas feed on mice, rats, chickens, frogs and fish.

* The anacondas have a bad reputation among the inhabitants of the areas where they live, they see them as a man eaters. However, in most cases, if an anaconda feels the presence of a human in its area, it flee in the opposite direction. The dead men caused by anacondas are rare. The anacondas are the predators jaguars, large caimans and other anacondas. An injured anaconda can also be prey to piranhas.

* The anaconda usually lurks in swamps or on the banks of rivers. He waits in ambush prey come a drink. So, it bites with its sharp teeth, takes with its powerful jaws and leads under water. The victim then drowned or suffocated by the muscles of the anaconda. It greenhouse whenever a little stronger when the victim expired, so that she can inspire that more and more difficult. The victim suffocates quickly. So, the anaconda swallowing the head first. It can swallow prey much larger than the size of his mouth because his jaw is dismantling and is loosely linked to the skull. While the snake swallows, his muscles have contractions by waves crush prey, the lead even more forward.

* All species of snake in the world have teeth, but the anaconda is not using his teeth for chewing, teeth are oriented towards the back of its mouth and struggling, the victim only aggravates its injury. He used his teeth like spikes to advance the prey into the esophagus. It digests its prey with powerful digestive juices. It takes six hours to reach its efforts to swallow prey as big a capybara. The anaconda somnole then over four or five days to digest even weeks depending on the size of the prey. It is also very vulnerable during that period. In addition, the snake is able to fast for two years. It is part of snakes primitive, and therefore do not have venom. It uses its weight and its power to control his victim. Thus, being bitten by an anaconda is painful but not fatal in itself.

* Among anacondas, the male attracts females (which is larger than the male) by issuing cries sound. It is also expected that the female diffuse into the air of chemicals to attract partners. A sort of ballet wedding takes place under water. Females can have a dozen partners. To caress her partner, the male has a sexual organ, a remnant of hind limbs lizards, his ancestors.
* As almost all boas, the anaconda is viviparous. Each range consists of ten to fifteen small that measure between sixty and ninety centimeters. Once born, serpenteaux can only rely on themselves. Like most reptiles, few of them reach adulthood because their predators are numerous: caimans, piranhas, ocelots, jaguars, pumas.

The giant anacondas

* The largest anaconda known measured 10 meters long, although testimony unaudited mention snakes much longer. It was discovered during the expedition geological Lamon-Dunn conducted in 1944 in Venezuela. Geologists have found the snake in the Orinoco, in eastern Venezuela. Soldiers of a detachment which accompanied fired at the snake. Then about twenty men have brought him on the bank. The anaconda has been measured with a measuring instrument geological. Although these are the anaconda longest measured, it has unfortunately not been able to be weighed. The members of the expedition went to their camp for lunch, and when they returned to the scene of their discovery, the snake was no longer there, and traces on the ground indicated that he had returned to the river.

* A 9-metre anaconda can weigh up to 500 kg. Snakes the better nourished can weigh about 100 kg per metre in length. A snake of that size can kill a big beef or a tapir easily. The zoological research revealed traces of snakes on dry river beds in the llanos of Venezuela indicating that large snakes are still to be discovered, some with a width of more than 50 centimetres.

* The anaconda like all species of large boas and pythons, continues to grow throughout his life. Its growth rate decreases after it has reached maturity, but it can reach 50 or 60 years or even 80 in some cases.

* There is exaggerated evidence of the first European explorers in the South American jungle who claim to have seen snakes of 16 meters. Nobody ever captured and measured anaconda approaching this size.

* Another dubious testimony has been done by the adventurer Percy Fawcett. In 1906, Fawcett has written a snake wounding nearly 19 metres. Once released, the story of Fawcett was widely called into question. Bernard Heuvelmans came to his defense, claiming that Fawcett was generally honest and reliable in what he reported. In addition, Heuvelmans noted that the experts were often forced to revise upwards their standards regarding the maximum size of snakes when they were confronted with snakes who defied their estimation. At one time, 6 meters was the maximum size for a generally accepted anaconda. These giant anacondas are those who are responsible for reported few cases unaudited snake eaters men.

* When molting, the anaconda frees itself of about 1 kg of skin. It can be stretched up to 30% of the original size of the snake.

However, it is advisable to specify that the maximum size of this species is difficult to estimate because it does not cease to grow to adulthood.

In captivity
The anacondas have a reputation for having a bad temper. Moreover, their massive size explains that anacondas are less popular than other boas. However, they are relatively common in the markets of exotic animals.

In cinema
In various films, the anaconda is presented as a giant snake eater men. In Anaconda, the predator, the anaconda is represented with a length, width and agility exaggerated, much more than the anacondas encountered in nature. Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid shows a snake magnifying up to 23 metres long, probably because of the "blood orchid". Even with specimens extremely rare and old, a witness on an anaconda of this size has never been reported. The anacondas grow up to 5 to 7 feet, but there are rumors relating snakes from 10 to 13 metres.

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