Scientists have expressed rather controversial versions about the name of the anaconda. According to etymologists, the mammal takes its name from the word henakandaya, which means "rattlesnake." Another version is that the reptile is named after a Tamil phrase meaning "slayer of elephants." So where does this non-toxic but large water snake live? Its habitat is Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, and tropical parts of South America.
Appearance
Anaconda belongs to the scaly detachment of a reptile class. This is a fairly large snake. The most gigantic reptile has been found in Venezuela. Its length was 5 meters 20 centimeters, including the size of the tail. The anaconda weighed almost 98 kilograms. It should be noted that feature films about snakes of this species with a length of 11-15 meters should be classified as fantastic.
There is one curious feature: the female anaconda is always larger than the male. The skeleton of a snake consists of a trunk and a tail. Reptile ribs are extremely mobile and expand greatly when swallowing large game. The anaconda skull is characterized by elastic bones, which helps it to open its mouth widely during hunting. Anaconda does not break, does not crush bones, as other boas do, it compresses production so that oxygen cannot enter the lungs, and production dies from suffocation. This snake has no fangs, so it does not tear food and does not chew.
Habitat and hunting
Where the anaconda lives, there are always many reservoirs. Typically, a snake chooses a warm and humid area. This is a water creature that populated the Amazon River and Orinoco. Especially comfortable snake lives on the island of Trinidad. It is believed that this area is abundantly populated by such animals as anaconda, hummingbirds, and condor. Trinidad is an island of controversy.
The territory is safely shared by small birds weighing 6-11 grams and large condors weighing 12 kilograms. If we talk about the anaconda, then we can distinguish between ordinary, green, Paraguayan and Beni. All of these species are excellent swimmers and divers. Special valves located on the nostrils help them stay under water for a long time.
When the settled rivers and lakes dry up, the snakes wander to other channels. After all, where the anaconda lives, there must be water. Sometimes the reptile buries in the silt before the onset of tropical rains. Why does she need them? The fact is that in reservoirs it is easier to guard and grab prey. She most often is a fish, a turtle, a bird. First, the water snake freezes and waits for its prey. Then, seizing the moment, she promptly attacks the prey and wraps herself around a tenacious spiral. As soon as the living creatures are strangled, the snake swallows it whole.
Tobago Island
It has the same amazing diversity of flora as Trinidad. Cultivated coconut and sugarcane plantations extend here. The island is rich in its diverse fauna. It is inhabited by an opossum and a howler monkey. This is another place where anaconda, hummingbirds and condor live.
Also in Tobago there is an abundance of alligators and various lizards, who have chosen the thickets of mangroves growing in the estuaries. This place is ideal for the life of anaconda.
Breeding reptiles
Scientists have found that a water snake can do without food for several months in a row. But when the breeding season comes, she goes on a hunger strike and goes on a search for food. She needs to reinforce herself with food and find a male for mating. It has been proven that only well-fed anaconda can bring viable offspring. To attract the male, the reptile begins to exude a special pheromone. The partner is looking for her with his tongue. This is the case when he picks up a female "to taste". How does mating happen?
It’s hard to answer exactly. It is only known that several males gather around the female, which curl into a large ball. But with which of them the female mates is not always clear. After love games, the pregnant reptile tries to find a reservoir, escaping from the heat. After all, it is the scorching sun that always rules where the anaconda lives. Mainland South America is one of such tropical places inhabited by numerous species of famous snakes. Unfortunately, many of them die from drought.
