Snakes World

There seems to be some controversy over which snake is the largest in the world. The battle is between the Anaconda and the Asiatic Reticulated Python. The clear winner in my mind is the Anaconda. The Python holds the record of the longest snake, measuring 33 feet in overall length. However, the Anaconda is a much larger snake in weight and girth. They are both very scary, but the Anaconda is so large it looks like something from a horror movie. Found in the deep secluded jungles of South America, giant Anacondas can be found that are as big around as a large man and weigh in at 550 LBS.You may read reports of a 100 FT Anaconda or tales from the locals of 50 FT snakes in the nearby jungle. But these stories are just a myth as a snake of this magnitude has never been captured or found dead in the jungle.If you are looking forward to swimming on your next South America vacation, it would be wise to do this at the hotel pool. Anacondas spend the majority of their time hunting in the rivers and streams. They would be very difficult to spot in swamp. Their dark color acts a camouflage in the marshy waters.

The Anaconda is considered to be a boa constrictor. The boa constrictor family of snakes use their body strength to coil around their prey. The victim is squeezed to death, dying from internal bleeding and massive injury. Then, like many snakes, the victim is swallowed whole. The size of the victim is of no concern to the snake as it will simply unlock its jaw to make room for dinner.The diet of the Anaconda includes fish, small alligators, crocodiles, and other snakes. They have even been known to dine on deer and jaguar. Now, an Anaconda isn’t going to outrun a deer or a jaguar; it will sneak up on its prey in stealth mode.While the Anaconda is the largest snake alive today, a team of researchers discovered a much larger fossil in the rainforest of north-east Columbia. It is estimated that the giant 42 foot long snake lived in the area 58 million years ago. The fossil of the snake is so large it reaches up to the hips of a tall man. It is estimated that the snake would have weighed in at approximately 2,500 LBS, as much as a small car.