|
Yellow Anaconda
Order: Squamata
Family: Boidea
Genus: Eunectes
Species: notaeus
Range & Habitat
South America, east of the Andes in rivers of the Tropical Rainforests.
Reproduction & Growth
Anacondas reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age. At the onset of each rainy season, each female in breeding condition gives off a scent known as a pheromone, which is picked up by a nearby male. He erects a pair of tiny hind limbs known as spurs whose use in mating is unique to boas and pythons. The female usually produces 20-40 live young, each about two feet long. Within hours of birth the young snakes can swim, hunt and care for themselves. There is no maternal behavior. They can weigh up to 550 lbs. and more.
Diet
In the Wild: Deer, wild pigs, birds and large rodents such as agouti, paca, capybara and aquatic animals such as caiman
In the Zoo: Thawed frozen rats once a week in summer and once or twice a month in winter. The rat must be wiggled to simulate a live rat in order to get the snake to strike.
General Information
Like all anacondas, the Yellow Anaconda is aquatic and spends most of its life in or near water. It is fully equipped to thrive in an aquatic environment, with upward-pointing eyes near the top of its head and nostrils on top of its snout. Anacondas are slow on land, but quick and deadly in the water.
In the Zoo
We have a Yellow Anaconda that came from an animal dealer. It is a male that is approximately six feet long and weighs 15 pounds (a lightweight).
Click here to learn about Animal Care.
| 
