There are similar spots with a yellow-ochre center along the side of the body. This large snake is dark green with alternating oval black spots. The early Spanish settlers referred to this snake as “matatoro” or “bull killer.” Physical Characteristics Both snakes are excellent swimmers and are two of the largest snakes in the world. A similar Tamil word for anaconda is “anaikolra” which means “elephant killer.” No one is sure how this name came to represent a South American snake, unless these two snakes - anaconda and python - were mistaken for the same species. The name “anaconda” comes from the Asian Indian Sinhalese language, and originally referred to the reticulated python. South American Tropical Rainforest and Aviary Fascinating Facts "While I do not doubt they can grow larger, possibly 8 meters or more, this is far from widely accepted among. "The largest I have measured was a bit shy of 18 feet ," Rivas adds. Rivas says there are records that suggest that, when comparing the two snakes, retics grow longer. Yet, when it comes to body length, reticulated pythons might actually have a slight edge. Here's the rub: Green anacondas are more heavily built animals than retics.ĭue to their hulking proportions, experts agree that the South American snakes can get much, much heavier than even the largest of pythons. Its diet includes fish, birds and even large mammals, which it overpowers with its immense strength. These massive constrictors, which can exceed 20 feet (6.1 meters) in length, are known for their striking green color and dark spots. Native to South America, it thrives in aquatic environments like swamps and slow-moving rivers. Indeed, the green anaconda ( Eunectes murinus) is the world's heaviest snake species. Researchers later tracked the python down for examination. The retic swallowed it whole, collar and all. Somehow, a wild, 50-pound (23-kilogram) sun bear who'd been wearing a radio collar caught the reptile's attention. Fun fact about that snake: It ate a bear! In a 2005 report, another plus-sized retic - from the island of Borneo - was measured at 22 feet, 10 inches (6.95 meters) long. " grow longer than males in both the reticulated python and the anaconda, so the biggest snake in the world (wherever she is) is doubtless a female," he notes. In an email interview, Shine says he "encountered one individual female that was almost 23 feet long" while conducting research in Sumatra. This comes as no surprise to Richard Shine, a biologist at Australia's Macquarie University. Retics get big enough to swallow pigs, deer - and yes, the occasional human. These constrictors, while nonvenomous, are formidable predators, relying on their immense strength to subdue prey, which includes a variety of mammals and the occasional bird. Now that we have the lowdown on retics and green anacondas, let's take a closer look at some of their large cousins. Simply by twisting its body around, the snake managed to yield two very different measurements. Later, Rivas himself measured the same anaconda using the exact same technique - and found the creature to be just 14 feet (4.3 meters) long. To get this figure, the scientist took a piece of string, held it over the struggling reptile's back and then measured the string. In one chapter, he describes a colleague who measured a full-grown anaconda at 18 feet (5.5 meters). Rivas' book, " Anaconda: The Secret Life of the World's Largest Snake," contains some interesting anecdotes about this. So, anybody who might want to stretch one out by hand and hold it up to an extra-long ruler sure has their work cut out for them. Not only that, but a massive snake doesn't always react well to handling. Green anacondas - and reticulated pythons - are incredibly strong beasts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |