Anaconda snakes extract similar responses from most of us, a response smeared by hatred, fear and probably revulsion. The image of this serpent that we carry in our mind is that of a creature that looks vile and is widely known to be monstrous. Apart from a few of the wealthy and the adventurous ones who want them as pets, most of us prefer to see anaconda snakes in TV and glossy travel magazines rather than in our homes and at the patio.
The natural habitat if these reptiles are the dense tropical forests in lovely South America. Found extensively in the Amazon River basin and also other tropical forests, this serpentine creature is worlds one of the largest snakes.
These snakes are carnivores, and prey a range of aquatic as well as land based creatures. While fish, turtles, frogs, dogs, sheep and deer are its favorite preys, anaconda snakes are also know to have constricted and swallowed considerably bigger animals like fully grown deer and even jaguars.
Most of us city dwellers harbor perceptual pollution and think that anaconda snakes are habituated man-eaters. In reality, it is exactly the opposite. If given a chance, these snakes will retreat when confronted, and will attack only as the last desperate act of defense. Anacondas are known to attach humans only when cornered, attacked, harmed or startled.
All anaconda snakes are perceived to be gigantic having length in excess of fifty feet and weighing more than two hundred kilograms each. Again, reality has been totally distorted by these myths. The biggest of these snakes grow up to thirty-five feet, and do not generally cross one hundred and fifty kilos when weighed. When bred in captivity, they tend to grow to smaller sizes- think about that for a moment!
Another interesting fact is the physical superiority of females over males. As a matter of fact, female anacondas have known to grow as much as five times longer and heavier than its male counterparts. This is probably one of the extreme cases on physical disparity between two sexes of the same species.
Another interesting aspect of these majestic snakes is the way they swallow their preys. These constrictors have powerful jaws that are loosely hinged to the skulls. While swallowing their preys, the jaws are unhinged, and as a result they can swallow considerably bigger preys. The preys are always swallowed from their head side to ensure that sharp edges like feathers do not rupture the delicate internal membrane of the snake digestive system.
Docile creatures they are, such reptiles have been wrongly portrayed as the big, bad guys in novels as well as movies. Despite their projected bad guy image, this reptiles have been one of the most favored pet creatures for the wealthy and the adventurous people.
Be it the vast natural expanses of the Amazon or the glass cage in the zoo, they will inspire the imagination of people. Long live the king of the Amazon, the anaconda snakes.
