Scientific Name:
Eunectes notaeus
Distribution
S South America, including Paraguay, southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and Bolivia
Diet:
Carnivore. Birds and their eggs, small or large mammals, turtles, lizards, occasionally fish or fish carrion, caimans.
Facts
Habitat: Swamps, marshlands with slow-moving rivers or streams
Gestation: 6 months, ~4-82 young
Social structure: Solitary (sequentially monogamous for mating), do not seem to defend territory
Weight: 40kg max
Dimensions: 4.6m max
Lifespan: 15-20
IUCN Status: Not evaluated
Estimated population in the wild: Unknown
Threats: Hunting for their skin to make merchandise such as purses, shoes and belts, pet trade (however, anacondas are unpredictable and dangerous and few people take on the challenge of keeping an anaconda as a pet.
Did you know that:
- Their Latin name Eunectes, means 'good swimmer’.
- They seem to have indeterminate growth and can reach sufficient sizes to take larger prey such as deer or capybaras.
- At breeding period, the female produces pheromones, a smell that attracts several males and form breeding balls of 1 female and several males.
- They give birth to fully developed live young, who are immediately able to live on their own.
- These constrictors are ambush hunters. They lie in the water or in the vegetation, waiting to pounce on passing prey.
- They have a very slow digestive system and can go for months without eating after a big meal.
- Along with their incredible jaw flexibility, they have more than a 100 curved teeth that help to hold and swallow prey.
- Like most snakes, they rely heavily on their fork-like tongues and chemo-sensation to navigate their environment and find prey. The tongue is flicked in and out of the mouth to taste the air.