Beware!! Anacondas at Alipore Zoo!

Do not feel frightened of these anacondas, that will soon grace the Zoological Garden in Alipore, for they are not as ferocious and gigantic likethe anaconda of the Hollywood movie. One of the longest known snake species in the world, Anacondas live in Amazon basin. This is for the first time Kolkata Zoo will have four of these massive serpents!

The reptiles will be procured through an exchange programme with Madras Crocodile Bank Trust – a reptile zoo and herpetology research station, located 40 kms south of the city of Chennai. The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has already approved the proposal for procuring these snakes. But as winter has set in and snakes have gone into hibernation, city zoo authorities have to wait till winter gets over. Plans have been finalized to get the reptiles in early March next year and plan to set them free in their respective enclosures after quarantine in April. Alipore Zoo will be getting four yellow anacondas.

In exchange of the anacondas, the city zoo will be sending four Branded Krait (popularly known as Sankhamuti) and four Cobras (popularly known as Keute) to Chennai. The Yellow Anaconda (Eunectesnotaeus), is found in Argentina. They have a yellow/brown base colour with black blotches and rosettes. They live in mostly aquatic habitats including swamps, marshes and brush covered banks of slow moving rivers and streams. The Yellow Anaconda is smaller than the more well known Green Anaconda and reaches an average adult length of about 3 metres (9.8 feet).

The Green Anaconda (Eunectesmurinus) is the largest member of the boa family of snakes and the most heavy bodied member of the super-order ‘Squamata.’ It rivals the Reticulated Python in length, but is typically considerably heavier. It can weigh 250 kilograms (551 pounds) and have a girth of more than 30 centimetres (11.8 inches) in diameter.Female anacondas are significantly larger than males. A female anaconda lays 20 to 100 eggs that are born early during the year. The baby anaconda is about 2 to 3 feet long and begins swimming soon after birth.

Just about every species of snake on earth has teeth, but the Anacondas teeth are not used for chewing. Anacondas have teeth, however, they are not a venomous snake. They rely on their enormous size and power to subdue their victims.The Anaconda diet includes deer, wild pigs, birds and large rodents and also aquatic animals such as fish and reptiles (caiman). Anacondas swim well and kill their prey by strangling them. If that does not work, they drown them. These snakes can survive years without eating.

Many people believe that anacondas are man eaters. It is generally seen, they prefer retreating rather than confronting human intruders on its home turf. They will not stalk a human prey, but there are many instances where they have killed and hunted down humans. Anacondas have always been a part of folklore and serpentine myths, probably due to its unique mode of killing its prey and large size.