Anaconda

Scientific Name: Eunectes murinus (Green Anaconda)

Nick Name: Jibóia and Sucuri (Local Names), The Water Boa, Matatoro or the bull killer (Spanish settlers), formerly called Boa murina.

Size: It has been reported that they can grow at well over 10 meters (32.8 feet) in length (although most are considerably smaller). It can weigh 250 kg (551 pounds) and have a diameter of more than 30 cm (11.8 inches).

Type: Non Venomous Snake

Appearance:  These snakes differ from Boa by the snout being covered with shields instead of small scales, the inner of the three nasal shields being in contact with that of the other side. The general colour is dark olive-brown, with large oval black spots arranged in two alternating rows along the back, and with smaller white-eyed spots along the sides. The belly is whitish, spotted with black spots.

Nature: This snake combines an arboreal with an aquatic life and is active mostly during the night. It lies submerged in the water, with only a small part of its head above the surface, waiting for any suitable prey, or it establishes itself upon the branches of a tree which overhangs the water or the track of game.

Distribution:  Northern parts of South America, in Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, northern Bolivia, northeast Peru, Guyana, and Trinidad.

Habitat:

Feeds on:   large rodents, tapirs, capybaras, deer, peccaries, fish, turtles, birds, sheep, dogs and aquatic reptiles like caiman. They have been known to occasionally prey on jaguars and attacks on humans can be confirmed, although this is rare. Younger anacondas feed on mice, rats, chicks, frogs and fish.

The extremely muscular anaconda is a constrictor and is not venomous; however, it still has teeth and powerful jaws that it utilizes to clench onto its prey. It grabs its victim and pulls it underwater, drowning the prey.

Other Species of water boas:

• The Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), which reaches a relatively smaller average adult length of 3 metres (9.8 feet). These live further south in Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, western Brazil, and northeast Argentina.

• The Dark-Spotted or Deschauense's Anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei) found in northeast Brazil.

• The Bolivian Anaconda (Eunectes beniensis) found in Bolivia, which was only identified in 2002 by Lutz Dirksen, and is still being studied.

Side Line:

• There are four species of water boas that inhabit the swamps, rivers and the dense forests of tropical South America as well as the southern swamps of the island of Trinidad. The Yellow Anaconda can be found as far south as Argentina.

• There are two possible origins for the word 'anaconda': It is perhaps an alteration of the Sinhalese word 'henakanday', meaning 'whip snake', or more likely, the Tamil word 'anaikondan', which means 'elephant killer', as early Spanish settlers in South America referred to the anaconda as 'matatoro', or 'bull killer'. 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.

• Females are larger than males, averaging 22-26 feet and 12-16 feet respectively.

• Most local people kill these snakes on sight, out of the fear that they are man-eaters. In most instances, if an anaconda senses humans in the area, it will retreat in another direction. Human death by anaconda is quite rare.