Green anaconda: Difference between revisions
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:'''''Common names:''' anaconda, common anaconda, water boa,<ref name="Meh87">Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.</ref> green anaconda.''<ref name="NRDB">{{NRDB species|genus=Eunectes|species=murinus|date=4 July|year=2008}}</ref> |
:'''''Common names:''' anaconda, common anaconda, water boa,<ref name="Meh87">Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.</ref> green anaconda.''<ref name="NRDB">{{NRDB species|genus=Eunectes|species=murinus|date=4 July|year=2008}}</ref> |
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'''''Eunectes murinus''''' is a non-venomous [[Boinae|boa]] [[species]] found in [[South America]]. It is known as the largest of all snakes. Two [[subspecies]] are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS|ID=634802|taxon=Eunectes murinus|date=3 July|year=2008}}</ref> |
'''''Eunectes murinus''''' is a non-venomous [[Boinae|boa]] [[species]] found in [[South America]]. It is known as one of the largest of all snakes. Two [[subspecies]] are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS|ID=634802|taxon=Eunectes murinus|date=3 July|year=2008}}</ref> |
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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[[Image:Green-anaconda.jpg|thumb|left|220px|''E. murinus'', [[New England Aquarium]].]] |
[[Image:Green-anaconda.jpg|thumb|left|220px|''E. murinus'', [[New England Aquarium]].]] |
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Adults |
Adults rank among the largest snakes in the world, reaching lengths of more than 8.8 m (29 feet)<ref name="NGC">[http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-anaconda.html Green Anaconda] at [http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/ National Geographic - Animals]. Accessed [[3 July]] [[2008]].</ref>, though average size is closer to 6 meters (20 feet) <ref name="RRC">[http://home.neo.rr.com/edzoo/Scales/green_anaconda.htm Green Anaconda] at [http://home.neo.rr.com/edzoo/ edzoo]. Accessed [[3 July]] [[2008]]</ref>. It rivals the reticulated python (''[[Python reticulatus]]'') for length, but is usually considerably heavier. It can weigh 250 kg (550 lb) and have a diameter of more than 30 cm (11.8 inches). This species might be the animal whose reported size is exaggerated most, with reports of specimens reaching up to 40 m (131 feet) in length. Probably the longest snake ever actually measured was a female shot and thought to be killed near the Colombia-Venezuela border in 1944. This unweighed giant was measured at 9.5m, before apparently slithering off.<ref name="Wood">''The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats'' - Wood, G.; Sterling Pub Co Inc, New York. 978-0851122359 (1983)</ref> Females are significantly longer than males, having the most conspicuous [[sexual dimorphism]] of all snakes. |
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The color pattern consists of olive green ground color overlaid with black blotches that run the length of the body. The head is narrow compared to the rest of the body, usually with distinctive orange-yellow striping on either side. The eyes are set high on the head and allow the snake to see out of the water when swimming without exposing its body. |
The color pattern consists of olive green ground color overlaid with black blotches that run the length of the body. The head is narrow compared to the rest of the body, usually with distinctive orange-yellow striping on either side. The eyes are set high on the head and allow the snake to see out of the water when swimming without exposing its body. |
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Revision as of 13:00, 29 August 2008
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| Species: | E. murinus
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| Eunectes murinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Eunectes murinus is a non-venomous boa species found in South America. It is known as one of the largest of all snakes. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.[4]
Description
Adults rank among the largest snakes in the world, reaching lengths of more than 8.8 m (29 feet)[5], though average size is closer to 6 meters (20 feet) [6]. It rivals the reticulated python (Python reticulatus) for length, but is usually considerably heavier. It can weigh 250 kg (550 lb) and have a diameter of more than 30 cm (11.8 inches). This species might be the animal whose reported size is exaggerated most, with reports of specimens reaching up to 40 m (131 feet) in length. Probably the longest snake ever actually measured was a female shot and thought to be killed near the Colombia-Venezuela border in 1944. This unweighed giant was measured at 9.5m, before apparently slithering off.[7] Females are significantly longer than males, having the most conspicuous sexual dimorphism of all snakes.
The color pattern consists of olive green ground color overlaid with black blotches that run the length of the body. The head is narrow compared to the rest of the body, usually with distinctive orange-yellow striping on either side. The eyes are set high on the head and allow the snake to see out of the water when swimming without exposing its body.
Geographic range
Found in South America in countries east of the Andes, including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and on the island of Trinidad. The type locality given is "America."[1]
Feeding
Primarily aquatic, they eat a wide variety of prey, almost anything they can manage to overpower, including fish, birds, a variety of mammals, and other reptiles. Particularly large anacondas may even consume large prey such as tapir, deer, capybara, caiman, and sometimes crocodiles and jaguars, but such large meals are not regularly consumed. In addition, there have been many reports and documentaries on anacondas consuming humans.They employ constriction to subdue their prey. Cannibalism among green anacondas is also known, most recorded cases involving a larger female consuming a smaller male. Scientists cite several possible reasons for this, including the dramatic sexual dimorphism in the species and the possibility that female anacondas require additional food intake after breeding to sustain their long gestation period and the male simply being an opportunistic prey item, but the exact reason is not understood.[8]
Reproduction
Anacondas are solitary animals until mating. During the mating season (corresponding to the rainy season) males must find the females, and while it is still unclear how they track a female's scent, many males often go after the same female. This in turn results in odd clusters colloquially called "breeding balls" in which up to 12 males wrap around the same female attempting to copulate. Copulation takes place in the water, with gestation lasting approximately 6 months. Anacondas are ovoviviparous, meaning that they produce eggs which hatch inside the mother's body and result in live births. The newborn, which usually number 20-30, are around 60 centimetres in size and receive no parental care. Should they survive, they reach sexual maturity in about 3 to 4 years.
Captivity
In captivity, these snakes are known for their aggressive disposition.[9]
Subspecies
| Subspecies[4] | Taxon author[4] | Common name | Geographic range |
|---|---|---|---|
| E. m. gigas | (Latreille, 1801) | ||
| E. m. murinus | (Linnaeus, 1758) | Green anaconda |
Entertainment
These snakes are among the most dramatized and most terrifying of villains portrayed in natural horror films, supposedly growing to over 120 feet in length and able to swallow adult humans; traits that are occasionally also attributed to other species, such as the Burmese python and the boa constrictor. Among the most popular snake films that feature it are the 1997 film, Anaconda, along with its two sequels Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid and Anaconda 3: The Offspring. In the 2006 production Snakes on a Plane, the snake that drops from the ceiling is in reality E. murinus. This species is also the main antagonist in Mathias Bradley's novel, Anacondas: The Terror of the Amazon Rainforest, in which multiple hybrid anacondas escape from a research facility in the Amazon Rainforest and come into contact with a toxic chemical that causes them to rapidly mutate into gigantic snakes.
References
- ^ a b McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
- ^ Mehrtens JM. 1987. Living Snakes of the World in Color. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. ISBN 0-8069-6460-X.
- ^ Eunectes murinus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 4 July 2008.
- ^ a b c "Eunectes murinus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 3 July.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - ^ Green Anaconda at National Geographic - Animals. Accessed 3 July 2008.
- ^ Green Anaconda at edzoo. Accessed 3 July 2008
- ^ The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats - Wood, G.; Sterling Pub Co Inc, New York. 978-0851122359 (1983)
- ^ Eunectes murinus (Green Anaconda): Cannibalism at Prodigy. Accessed 3 July 2008.
- ^ LLLReptile: Green Anaconda Captive Care at LLLReptile. Accessed 3 July 2008.
External links
