How are human's enemies to green anaconda?

The Columbia Encyclopedia reports that the anaconda may reach 7.9 m in length and 90 cm in girth. The anaconda is a semi aquatic boa (also sometimes called a water boa) that lives in swamps and rivers in South America. It is a non-venomous constrictor (it kills other animals by way of constriction - see the explanation above) and it swallows its prey whole. Quite often though the prey die by drowning rather than suffocation.

This snake is a good climber and can often be found hanging on tree branches over tropical streams. The green anaconda, like all other snakes, has a very slow rate of food digestion. It can live for a year after eating a big meal without having to eat more!

It has been recently found that female green anacondas are much larger than male ones. The female anaconda delivers its young alive (as compared to some other snakes which lay eggs - for example, pythons). It can give birth to as many as fifty, sixty or even seventy young ones at a time, which can be 30 or more inches long.

From the moment an anaconda is born till adulthood, its biomass increases by 500 times which is much higher than in any other species of snakes. John Thorbjarnarson , who worked with Jesus A. Rivas (see the sidebar) on the anaconda research project, describes it as "... a striking creature to behold.

Its head, with a prominent red stripe, is dwarfed in comparison to the improbable bulk of the body, with its glossy skin and bold, black markings on an olive-yellow background." (Ref. He refers to these snakes as "secretive", "shy, retiring creatures" which are often difficult to detect even by a practiced eye. As a result of the above mentioned project, the researchers found out some very interesting facts about green anacondas.

Rivas tells us that there is a presence of cannibalism among the anacondas. During all the occasions of cannibalism recorded by his research team, it was (larger) female anacondas eating (smaller) male ones. He then concludes that "after mating pregnant females do not eat for seven months.

It is possible that breeding females eat their mating partners in order to help them survive the long fast associated with pregnancy." (Ref. Rivas also reports that, though anacondas are not typical "man-eaters", they nonetheless can attack human beings. He states that on a couple of occasions two of his field assistants were unsuccessfully attacked by anacondas, possibly because of a high exposure of these researchers to the anacondas they were tracking.

Cutright cites several recorded instances of anacondas attacking humans but refers to them as only "slight evidence". Rivas warns us that "due to skin trade and habitat degradation its anaconda's numbers have declined in places where they are not protected" and that further action is required to understand this species better and develop guidelines for its protection and management. Just like for the jaguar, tropical frogs (and specifically poison dart frogs) and other rainforest animals, the recent high rates of rainforest destruction, in particular in South America where the anaconda lives, do not help this snake either.

As of this moment, the green anaconda is listed in Appendix II of CITES. This means that all the commercial trade in this species is prohibited in the South American countries that it inhabits, with the exception of exports for zoos and research purposes. It looks like the green anaconda is falling victim to the human prejudice and ignorance as well.

Whereas I can personally understand why it instils fear into people who encounter this enormous snake and who are not sure how to deal with such encounters, it is certainly no reason to kill it every time they see it. As Heidi Ridgley reiterates, thousands of anacondas are still killed every year either out of fear or to sell their skins for a profit. There are local efforts to protect the green anaconda, alongside many other species of animals, by establishing reserves throughout South American countries.

Some of such reserves are, for example, Cristalino State Park (ref. 16) and a number of reserves in the Llanos area of Venezuela (ref. Though the current state of anacondas' existence does not necessarily make them endangered animals as such, there is a clear need for their further protection.