ANACONDAS

Let us read something about the world's largest snake, which made an appearance in movies like "Anaconda" and "Anacondas2" leaving viewers horrified and breathless.

After making a thrilling villainous appearance in movies like "Anaconda" and "Anacondas2", this snake is now known to almost everyone all over the world. Anaconda also known as "Water BOA" belongs to BOA family of snakes, which is one of the largest and most powerful snakes in the world.

The average length of anaconda is about 20-25 ft and about 13 inches in diameter, weighing around 150 Kg or more than that. According to the records, the biggest anaconda ever found was of length more than 37 ft (i.e. more than 11 meters). There may be larger Anacondas which are unseen. Anacondas are found in the rivers in the rain forests of South America, Brazil and Guiana. Anaconda chooses sluggish and swamp streams as well as it stays in rivers as stated above. Anacondas are mainly found in Arizona and Orinoco basins. Their natural habitat includes rain forests, grasslands, etc.

Anacondas are nocturnal and non-venomous. Anacondas are strong enough that they do not need poison to kill their prey or save themselves from predators. The animal kills its prey by constriction and squeezing. Anacondas are carnivorous in nature. Anaconda takes help of color of its skin to hide in the water while hunting for food. It hides itself in shallow water, when the prey comes closer to drink water from the basin anaconda is resting in, anaconda attacks it in a rapid action. It winds itself around the body of its prey and squeezes prey's body, ultimately restricting respiration; the prey dies of suffocation. Anaconda feed on aquatic, amphibious animals such as fishes, small rodents, frogs, ducks (birds), turtles and some type of mammals such as sheep, deer, peccaries, dogs etc. Anaconda's jaw can open wide enough to swallow animals in size. Anacondas, like other snakes are cold-blooded snakes, they do not chew their food but swallow it, which is then digested along with the bones with the help of strong acids inside the snake’s stomach. Anaconda, just like other reptiles, rest for few days to some weeks depending upon the size of food.

Anacondas are snakes but do not have fangs. There are two types of anacondas, greenish-brown and yellow in color. Yellow anacondas are smaller in length (not exceeding 10-15 ft) than greenish-brown anacondas. Greenish-brown anacondas carry a double row of black oval spots on the back and smaller white markings on the sides. Female anaconda generally outweighs the male anaconda.

Anacondas generally reach sexual maturity at after 3-4 years of age. The mating season for anaconda begins near the start of rains. The female anaconda gives off a typical scent, which attracts male anacondas in the vicinity, if more than one anaconda gather then they compete for the female, the strongest male can mate with the female anaconda. The pair may choose to stay together for several months. The gestation period in anaconda is of nearly six months after which female anaconda gives birth to 20 to 80 living young snakes at one time The young anaconda measure about 2 ft and can stay independent of their parents just in some hours after their birth.

A venomous snake mostly found in the eastern region of the United States of America, the water moccasin is a kind of pit viper. Snakes from the Crotalinae family are known as pit vipers. The name pit viper indicates that a pit-shaped organ useful for sensing heat is present between the nostrils and eyes of this snake. The zoological name of the water moccasin is Agkistrodon piscivorus. A slow moving and semi-aquatic viper, the cottonmouth water moccasin is generally found in streams and other shallow water bodies. However, the snake is also known to have colonized the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.