Anaconda

For other uses, see Anaconda (disambiguation).

Anaconda
Yellow Anaconda, Eunectes notaeus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Boidae
Subfamily:	Boinae
Genus:	Eunectes Wagler, 1830
Species
E. beniensis E. deschauenseei E. murinus E. notaeus

Anacondas are several species of aquatic boa inhabiting the swamps and rivers of the dense forests of tropical South America to the East of the Andes, especially in Venezuela. The Yellow Anaconda can be found as far south as northern Argentina. Anacondas with their cryptic nature and acquatic habitats were among the least known snakes despite their large size and charima. In 1992 Dr. Jesus A. Rivas started the first and so far only study on the biology of green anaconda in Venezuela, which has brough green anacondas to be among the best studied species of snakes in the world {www.anacondas.org}.

Etymology

There are two possible origins for the word 'anaconda.' The Tamil word anaikondran, which means 'elephant killer'. "lightning-stem." A name first used in Eng. to name a Ceylonese python, it erroneously was applied to a large S.Amer. boa, called in Brazil sucuriuba. The word is of uncertain origin, and no snake name like it now is found in Sinhalese or Tamil. Another suggestion is that it represents Tamil anaikkonda "having killed an elephant."|publisher=Douglas Harper|year=2001|accessdate=2007-09-01}} </ref> It is unclear how the name originated so far from the snake's native habitat; it is likely due to its vague similarity to the large Asian pythons. Local names for the anaconda in South America include the Spanish term matatoro, meaning 'bull killer', and the Native American terms sucuri and yakumama. Anacondas as members of the boa family are sometimes called water boas. The Latin name for Anaconda is Eunectes (from the Greek "Eυνήκτης", meaning "good swimmer").

Size

See also: Giant anaconda

There is some debate about the maximum size of anacondas, and there have been unverified claims of enormous snakes alleged to be as long as 30–45 m (98.4–147.6 ft). A 1944 petroleum expedition in Colombia claimed to have measured an Template:M to ft specimen; perhaps a more credible report came from scientist Vincent Roth, who claimed to have shot and killed a Template:M to ft specimen. Based on documented evidence, Anacondas can grow to about 23 feet long.

There are some reports from early explorers of the South American jungles seeing giant anacondas up to Template:M to ft long, and some of the native peoples have reported seeing anacondas up to Template:M to ft long, but these reports remain unverified.

Another claim of an extraordinarily large anaconda was made by adventurer Percy Fawcett. During his 1906 expedition, Fawcett wrote that he had shot an anaconda that measured some Template:M to ft from nose to tail. Once published, Fawcett’s account was widely ridiculed. Decades later, Belgian zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans came to Fawcett's defence, arguing that Fawcett's writing was generally honest and reliable.

Historian Mike Dash wrote of claims of still larger anacondas, alleged to be as long as Template:M to ft to Template:M to ft — some of the sightings supported with photos (although those photos lack scale). Dash noted that if a 50–60 ft anaconda strains credulity, then a 150 ft long specimen is generally regarded as an outright impossibility.

Wildlife Conservation Society has, since the early 20th century, offered a large cash reward (currently worth US$50,000) for live delivery of any snake of 30 feet or more in length. The prize has never been claimed. Also, in a study of 1,000 wild anacondas in Venezuela, the largest captured was 17 feet (5.2 m) long.. In November 2007, an anaconda measuring over Template:M to ft and weighing nearly Template:Kg to lb was captured in the backyard of an abandoned house in Paraná, Brazil. However, measuring a snake that is stronger than the person measuring it is not an easy task. It has been found that two scientist measuring the same 12 feet plus anaconda independently showed a variation of more than 20% on their measures [1].

In captivity

There have been very few instances of anacondas being bred in captivity. In October 2007, the New England Aquarium in Boston achieved a breakthrough when it was discovered that one of the aquarium's female anacondas was gravid. On January 1st, 2008, fourteen anaconda babies were born at the New England Aquarium. Anacondas, like other boas, give birth to live young.

Bibliography

• Bernard Heuvelmans (1958). On the Track of Unknown Animals. Hill and Wang. ISBN 0710304986.

External links

[2] Animal Diversity Web: Eunectes murinus (green anaconda)