The Paraguayan anaconda is the smallest among the representatives of the genus, but still this snake looks pretty impressive. It is not poisonous and has never been caught in cannibalism, but you should not enter into a confrontation with it. This snake attracts exotic lovers, professional serpentologists, zoo owners and private breeders. But each of them admits that deep down he treats the object of his interest with apprehension.
Our article will tell you about how interesting these creatures are, how they live in the wild, what difficulties their content entails.
Description of the Paraguayan Anaconda
The length of an adult female can reach 4 or more meters, but such giant sizes are considered rare within the species. Most representatives of the Paraguayan species grow in length to no more than 3-3.5 meters. Males are smaller than their relatives, but in general sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed.
The body is painted in warm sandy tones, for which this snake is often called the yellow anaconda. On the back there are multiple oval or saddle large spots of dark color, on the sides they are lighter and smaller.
The nostrils and eyes of the Paraguayan anaconda are set high. This is due to the fact that the snake spends a lot of time in water, but breathes air. It is convenient for her to monitor the situation, slightly sticking her face out of the water.
Habitat of the Paraguayan Anaconda
On what continent this snake lives, you can easily guess by its name. Her homeland is South America. You can meet such a snake in Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, northern Brazil, as well as in some areas of Argentina.
The snake lives only where there are shaded ponds and damp thickets around them.
Behavior and lifestyle
Like all relatives of the anacondas, Paraguayan is a predator. She is active almost at any time of the day, but loves to hunt more at night and at dusk. In the drought season, he gets into silt and falls into a peculiar stupor. This is not quite hibernation, just the activity of the reptile is reduced.
She prefers to get food in water. It rarely comes ashore, and even that does not creep away far from the native lake. Able to climb trees, sometimes basking in the branches.
The diet includes mammals, waterfowl, reptiles and reptiles. Likes anaconda and fishing. Serpentologists have repeatedly watched how this snake enters into battle: having a very solid complexion, it can even overcome a young crocodile. But only the jaguar itself preys on her.
Eat no more than once every few days.
In the natural environment, anacondas of this species prefer to stay alone. They suffer each other's company only in the mating season.
Wild breeding occurs annually. This species, like the rest of the genus, is viviparous. The female brings from 10 to 30 cubs.
Aggressiveness
Data on this trait varies. Probably, it is not inherent in the whole species, but individual individuals can behave quite boldly. He is never the first to attack a person, but he will certainly drive him away from a particularly stubborn tourist or biologist. Young individuals are usually more active than age-related snakes.
Captivity
The Paraguayan anaconda is not the snake with which the lover of exotics should start. It requires considerable investment. A young anaconda will cost an average of 20-25 thousand rubles, no less than the amount to pay for the terrarium and equipment for it. It is demanding to feed, it cannot be fed with scraps.
As a dwelling, a large horizontal terrarium is needed, 2/3 full of water. The bank is laid out with pebbles, coconut substrate, bark. It is advisable to set a snag above the water, on which the snake could climb.
You will need a special UV lamp, heater, thermometers for cold and warm angles, an additional thermometer for water, a fog generator, a humidity detection sensor, temperature regulators, and a thermal mat. An electronic sprayer is desirable (it can be difficult to manually process a large terrarium regularly) and an artificial waterfall.
The feed used daily quail, weekly rat and other rodents, fish. Mandatory special food for reptiles with a balanced composition, which includes vitamins and minerals.
Change of water and cleaning should be carried out at least once a week. To do this, you will need not only a special tool, but also a bulk container into which you can transplant your pet.
Is propagation possible?
It is worth preparing for the potential owner and that he is unlikely to recoup the invested funds. It is with great difficulty that offspring of Paraguayan anacondas receive offspring even by scientists from leading world zoos. For example, in none of the Russian zoos for several decades there was a single case of having babies in a pair of anacondas.
The first success was achieved by the serpentologists of the Moscow Zoo: offspring were obtained when the female was delivered to their St. Petersburg colleagues. Scientists took the birth of babies as a sensation, and today the Paraguayan anacondas living in serpentariums of Russia and neighboring countries are, to one degree or another, the descendants of the offspring of that pair of snakes. This suggests that even the most diligent breeder will face enormous difficulties.
And yet there is a chance. The story that happened in 2016 in the serpentarium of the Leningrad Zoo convinces us of this. Employees once simply discovered that newborn babies were swimming in the pool with anacondas. That is, no efforts were made by employees to obtain offspring, the snakes themselves decided that it was time for them to have children.
But despite all the difficulties, costs and difficulties, the Paraguayan anaconda is the pet that many dream of. This is really a solid snake, very beautiful and characteristic, which is interesting to watch.