Anaconda
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{{Mergefrom|Giant anaconda|date=January 2008}}
{{otheruses}}
{{Taxobox
| name = Anaconda
| image = Anaconda jaune 34.JPG
| image_caption = Yellow Anaconda, ''[[Yellow anaconda|Eunectes notaeus]]''
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[Reptile|Reptilia]]
| ordo = [[Squamata]]
| subordo = [[Serpentes]]
| familia = [[Boidae]]
| subfamilia = [[Boinae]]
| genus = '''''Eunectes'''''
| genus_authority = [[Johann Georg Wagler|Wagler]], 1830
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
''[[Eunectes beniensis|E. beniensis]]''<br>
''[[Eunectes deschauenseei|E. deschauenseei]]''<br>
''[[Eunectes murinus|E. murinus]]''<br>
''[[Eunectes notaeus|E. notaeus]]''
}}
'''Anacondas''' (genus '''''Eunectes''''') are several [[species]] of aquatic [[boa]]s inhabiting the [[swamp]]s and rivers of tropical [[South America]] east of the [[Andes]]. The Yellow Anaconda can be found as far south as northern [[Argentina]]. Anacondas with their cryptic nature and acquatic habitats were among the least known snakes despite their large size and charisma. In 1992 Dr. [[Jesus A. Rivas]] started the first and so far only study on the biology of green anaconda in Venezuela, which has brought green anacondas to be among the best studied species of snakes in the world.<ref>[http://www.anacondas.org anacondas.org]. Jesus A. Rivas. Accessed [[2008-06-29]]</ref>
== Etymology ==
There are two possible origins for the word "anaconda." The first being a [[Tamil language|Tamil]] word "anaikondran," meaning "elephant killer." A name first used in English to name a Ceylonese python, it erroneously was applied to a large South American boa, called in Brazil "sucuri". The word is of uncertain origin, and no snake name like it now is found in Sinhalese or Tamil. Another suggestion is that it represents Tamil anaikkonda "having killed an elephant."<ref>{{publisher=Douglas Harper|year=2001|accessdate=2007-09-01}} </ref> It is unclear how the name originated so far from the snake's native habitat; it is likely due to its vague similarity to the large [[Asia]]n [[Pythonidae|python]]s. Local names for the anaconda in South America include the Spanish term "matatoro," meaning "bull killer," and the Native American terms ''sucuri'' and "yakumama." Anacondas as members of the boa family are sometimes called "water boas." The Latin name for anaconda is "Eunectes" (from the Greek "Eυνήκτης", meaning "good swimmer.")
== Size ==
{{see also|Giant anaconda}}
There is some debate about the maximum size of anacondas, and there have been unverified claims of enormous snakes alleged to be as long as {{convert|30|-|45|m|ft}}. A 1944 petroleum expedition in [[Colombia]] claimed to have measured an {{m to ft|11.43}} specimen; perhaps a more credible report came from scientist Vincent Roth, who claimed to have shot and killed a {{m to ft|10.3}} specimen. Based on documented evidence, Anacondas can grow to about {{ft to m|23}} long.{{Fact|date=April 2008}}
There are some reports from early [[List of explorers|explorers]] of the South American jungles seeing giant anacondas up to {{m to ft|18.2}} long, and some of the native peoples have reported seeing anacondas up to {{m to ft|15.2}} long,<ref>[http://www.extremescience.com/BiggestSnake.htm Extreme Science: Which is the Biggest Snake?]</ref> but these reports remain unverified.
Another claim of an extraordinarily large anaconda was made by adventurer [[Percy Fawcett]]. During his 1906 expedition, Fawcett wrote that he had shot an anaconda that measured some {{m to ft|18.9}} from nose to tail.<ref> [http://www.cryptozoology.com/cryptids/anaconda.php Cryptozoology: Sucuriju Gigante, by Aaron Justice]</ref> Once published, Fawcett’s account was widely ridiculed. Decades later, Belgian zoologist [[Bernard Heuvelmans]] came to Fawcett's defence, arguing that Fawcett's writing was generally honest and reliable.<ref> [http://www.trueauthority.com/cryptozoology/anaconda.htm Section Bernard Heuvelmans]</ref>
Historian [[Mike Dash]] wrote of claims of still larger anacondas, alleged to be as long as {{m to ft|30}} to {{m to ft|45}} — some of the sightings supported with photos (although those photos lack scale). Dash noted that if a {{convert|50|-|60|ft|m|adj=on}} anaconda strains credulity, then a {{convert|150|ft|m|adj=on}} long specimen is generally regarded as an outright impossibility.<ref>Dash, Mike ''Borderlands: The Ultimate Exploration of the Unknown''; Overlook Press, 2000 ISBN 0-87951-724-7</ref>
[[Wildlife Conservation Society]] has, since the early 20th century, offered a large cash reward (currently worth US$50,000) for live delivery of any snake of {{ft to m|30}} or more in length<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01EFD61139F931A35757C0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all] The New York Times, 1996. Carol Kaesuk Yoon.</ref>. The prize has never been claimed. Also, in a study of 1,000 wild anacondas in [[Venezuela]], the largest captured was {{convert|17|ft|m}} long.<ref>.[http://ca.encarta.msn.com/encnet/Features/Columns/?article=sciencesnakes The Search for the $50,000 Snake]</ref>.
In November 2007, an anaconda measuring over {{m to ft|6|abbr=yes}} and weighing nearly {{kg to lb|200|abbr=yes}} was captured in the backyard of an abandoned house in [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]], [[Brazil]].<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=71798&videoChannel=4 440-pound snake found in Brazil house | Video | Reuters.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> However, measuring a snake that is stronger than the person is not an easy task. It has been found that two scientist measuring the same {{convert|12|ft|m|adj=on}} plus anaconda independently showed a variation of more than 20 percent on their measures <ref>[http://contemporaryherpetology.org/ch/2008/2/CH_2008_2.pdf]</ref>.
==In captivity==
There have been very few instances of anacondas being bred in captivity. In October 2007, the [[New England Aquarium]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] achieved a breakthrough when it was discovered that one of the aquarium's female anacondas was [[gravid]].<ref name="Yahoo20071018">{{cite news | title =Mass. aquarium houses pregnant anaconda | work =Yahoo! News | language =English | publisher =Yahoo! Inc. | date =[[2007-10-18]] | url =http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071019/ap_on_sc/anaconda_pregnancy_test_1 | accessdate =2007-10-18}}</ref> On [[January 1]], 2008, fourteen anaconda babies were born at the New England Aquarium. Anacondas, like other boas, give birth to live young.
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|author=Bernard Heuvelmans|title=On the Track of Unknown Animals|publisher=Hill and Wang|year=1958|isbn= 0710304986}}
==References==
<references />
==External links==
*[http://anacondas.org/research.htm Informative page on the research by Dr. Jesus A. Rivas]
*http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Eunectes_murinus.html Animal Diversity Web: ''Eunectes murinus'' (green anaconda)]
[[Category:Boas]]
[[Category:Fauna of Brazil]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Amazon]]
[[Category:Reptiles of South America]]
[[Category:Fauna of Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[ar:أناكوندا]]
[[bg:Анаконда]]
[[ca:Anaconda]]
[[da:Anakonda]]
[[de:Anakondas]]
[[es:Eunectes]]
[[eu:Anakonda]]
[[fa:آناکوندا]]
[[fr:Anaconda]]
[[gd:Anaconda]]
[[gl:Anaconda]]
[[ko:아나콘다]]
[[hr:Anakonde]]
[[id:Anakonda]]
[[it:Eunectes]]
[[he:אנקונדה]]
[[nl:Anaconda]]
[[ja:アナコンダ]]
[[no:Anakondaer]]
[[pl:Anakonda]]
[[pt:Anaconda]]
[[ru:Анаконды]]
[[fi:Anakondat]]
[[th:งูอนาคอนดา]]
[[vi:Trăn anaconda]]