VIDEO: This Snake Bit More That It Could Chew!

Prepare to have your mind blown! This snake probably bit off more than it could chew and died with a full belly. Can you guess what was found inside the massive anaconda? Watch the video to find out!

According to Live Science, anacondas are semiaquatic snakes found in tropical South America. They are some of the largest snakes in the world and are known for their swimming ability. “Anaconda” is the common name for the genus Eunectes, a genus of boa. Eunectes means “good swimmer” in Greek.

There are four recognized species of anaconda, according to Bill Heyborne, a herpetologist and professor of biology at Southern Utah University. They are the green anaconda, the yellow or Paraguayan anaconda, the dark-spotted anaconda and the Beni or Bolivian anaconda.

“They can be differentiated from one another genetically, but also based on their size and geographic range,” Heyborne said.

Anacondas are most active in the early evening and at night. Their large size makes them cumbersome on land but they can move swiftly in the water. They are solitary snakes and green anacondas have their own home territories, according to ADW. They are adaptable, and snakes that live in grasslands sometimes buy themselves in mud and become dormant during the dry season.

Anacondas, like all boas, are nonvenomous. “Anacondas are powerful constrictors,” said Heyborne.

“They hunt for a variety of prey items typically under the cover of darkness.” Anacondas usually lurk in rivers near the banks, where the murky waters and their camouflaging coloring conceals them, waiting for prey to come to drink.

Then, they attack. They restrain their prey with their sharp, curved teeth and apply their constrictive killing technique.

There are some common misconceptions about how that constricting works, said Heyborne. One is that it crushes or breaks the bones of the prey. Another is that the snakes suffocate it, squeezing the prey’s lungs too tightly to work.

Scientists held this belief until quite recently, when a paper revealed what happens to prey animals during constriction. “It turns out that the squeezing overwhelms the circulatory system,” explained Heyborne. “Blood cannot get to the brain, and the animal dies within seconds due to ischemia.” Since anacondas typically constrict their prey in the water, drowning is also a common cause of death.

Anacondas eat a variety of animals. “Small snakes may take rodents, lizards and fish, while adult snakes may take caiman, capybara or even jaguar,” Heyborne said. Female anacondas sometimes eat males.

Once the prey is dead, anacondas swallow it whole. They have a large, unfused ligament on each side of their mandibles and mobile joints in their jaws that allow them to open their jaws wide enough to get around large prey. Their stretchy skin and lack of sternum allows their body to change shape to accumulate their dinner, according to Rivas.

Green anacondas are apex predators, meaning that they are at the top of their food chain, according to ADW. Sometimes, however, going after large animals like jaguar and caiman can result in serious injuries or death.

After feeding, anacondas can go weeks or months without eating again.

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