Underwater, face to face with a peaceful anaconda
Photo: © Daniel De Granville, 2010


Giant anaconda

Reports of giant anacondas date back as far as the discovery of South America when sightings of anacondas upwards of 50 meters (150 feet) began to circulate amongst colonists and the topic has been a subject of debate ever since among cryptozoologists and zoologists.

Anacondas can grow to sizes of 6 metres (20 ft) and beyond, and 150 kilograms (23 stone or approx, 330 lbs.) in weight. Although some python species can grow longer, the anaconda, particularly the Green Anaconda, is the second heaviest and largest in terms of diameter of all snakes, and it is the second biggest extant snake in the world right behind the Reticulated Python. The lengthiest reputably-measured and confirmed anacondas are about 7.5 meters (25 feet) long.
Lengths of 50-60 feet have been reported for this species but such extremes lack verification and too add lack of large prey to support a super-large snake. The two only real reliable claims that can be found describe measured anacondas ranging from 26-32 feet although these remain unverified.

History

The first recorded sightings of giant anacondas were from the time of the discovery of South America, when early European explorers entered the dense jungles there and claimed to have seen giant snakes measuring up to 18 metres (59 ft) long. Natives also reported seeing anacondas upwards of 10.5 metres (34 ft)[5] to 18 metres (59 ft). Anacondas above 7 metres (23 ft) in length are rare; the 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 9 metres (30 ft) or more in length, but the prize has never been claimed despite the numerous sightings of giant anacondas. In a survey of 780 wild anacondas in Venezuela, the largest captured was 5 metres (16 ft) long, far short of the length required. A specimen measured in 1944 exceeded this size when a petroleum expedition in Colombia claimed to have measured an anaconda which was 11.4 metres (37 ft) in length, but its claim has never been proven. Scientist Vincent Roth also claimed to have shot and killed a 10.3 metres (34 ft) specimen, but like most other claims it lacks sound evidence. 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 19 metres (62 ft) from nose to tail. Once published, Fawcett’s account was widely ridiculed. Decades later, Belgian cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans came to Fawcett’s defence, arguing that Fawcett’s writing was generally honest and reliable.

Historian Mike Dash writes of claims of still larger anacondas, alleged to be as long as 45 metres (148 ft), with some of the sightings supported with photos (although those photos lack scale). Dash notes that if reports of a 18 metres (59 ft) anaconda strains credulity, then a 120 feet (37 m) long specimen is generally regarded as an outright impossibility.

In fiction

Perhaps the most well-known and defining portrayal of giant anaconda in popular fiction is the 1997 film Anaconda, which featured a giant anaconda hunting and killing several crew members from National Geographic, and its sequel Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid. Another two sequels, Anaconda 3: Offspring and Anacondas: Trail of Blood, were produced as made-for-television movies in 2008.

In documentaries

It was featured in an episode of Lost Tapes called “Megaconda”. This term was continually used in the official website. During an expedition in the Peruvian Amazon in 2009, a Belfast father and his son claim to have captured a giant Anaconda on camera.

   See also

    Titanoboa
    Gigantophis

From Wikipedia


Further Reading:

Boss Snakes: Stories and Sightings of Giant Snakes in North America

Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons

Giant Anaconda and Other Cryptids: Fact or Fiction?