Never thought that an adult Spectacled Caiman alligator (Caiman crocodilus) can be eaten alive by another predator? Well, think again!! Especially when you have this chap around:
(Image Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-anaconda.html)Introducing.... The Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) !!!Well, I have always thought that anacondas' diet consist only of fishes, birds, rodents, mammals, and other small reptiles. But little did I expect to discover that this particular species, the Green Anaconda, actually feeds on full-grown Spectacled Caimans (which can grow up to 2.5m) as well!
Devouring a fellow fearsome predator? Wow.
My interest in inter-species conflict originally led me to stumble upon the incredible videos listed below. And upon closer research, I discovered that the Green Anaconda, located primarily in South America, is actually the largest snake in the world in terms of weight. They can grow up to 30 feet (9 meters) long, weigh 1,200 pounds (550 kilograms), and measure more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) in diameter.
Youtube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acVlIJeY9ws&feature=related
As illustrated in the video above, the Green Anaconda kills with power, not poison. By coiling its muscular body around its prey, the Green Anaconda can even crush the armoured Caiman until it can no longer breathe. This constriction tactic allows the Green Anaconda to take down other prey as large as adult capybaras (giant
rodents), adult white-tailed deers, adult jaguars, and even humans of approximately 55kg or more.
At the same time, this brutal predator can be really covert and sleek in the water, with its dull colour and black blotches enhancing its camouflaging capabilities in the marshes and swamps. Its eyes and nasal openings are on top of its head, allowing it to wait and ambush its prey while remaining almost completely submerged.
Youtube Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc06MVH6W98
Interestingly, while all the videos here highlight the Green Anaconda prevailing over the Spectacled Caiman, my research indicates that this is not always the case. In fact, renowned anaconda specialist Jesus Rivas once documented an intriguing event of the Spectacled Caiman preying on a green anaconda in return:
"On 25 of May 1996 we discovered a large caiman (>90 cm svl) firmly gripping the head of a radio-implanted female anaconda (494 cm TL, 29 kg), who in turn had wrapped herself around the caiman’s head and neck. After approximately 15 min the snake relaxed her coils, apparently losing the struggle with the caiman.
We interrupted the event to recover the transmitter when the snake stopped struggling. One of the teeth of the caiman had gone right through the skull and into the brain region, other tooth mark where present in the first fifth but did not look life threatening. The snake died two months later in captivity due to a generalized infection. As we had found this snake severely wounded from 2 months previous to being preyed on by the caiman, it is likely that she was not in top physical shape and this may have played some role in the attack."
Certainly, there appears to be a history of inter-species conflict between these two large predators. One possible reason could be due to the fact that both share very similar habitats in the seasonally flooded savannahs of South America and the Amazon Basin.
Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMwt_fEe3CY&feature=related(Warning: Do not watch this if you just had a heavy meal.) As seen in the fascinating video above, the Green Anaconda possesses jaws attached by pliable ligaments, which enables it to swallow the Caiman as a whole. Such a sizeable and yummy meal can allow it to go for weeks or even
months without food.At the same time, the Green Anaconda's
unique adaptation and natural selection allow it to experience an incredible change in body size from birth to adulthood, as compared to other snakes. This explains how it can grow to such a massive bulk despite the occasional meal. Moreover, the
role of nature has also dictated that baby Green Anacondas can almost immediately be able to swim and hunt once they are born. A top, ectothermic predator indeed.
Poor Caiman.
Finally, just to make you feel a little better, Green Anacondas are
not known for being fond of attacking humans, despite their mythical reputation as man-eaters. Thankfully. =)
References:
BBC Science and Nature,
Amazon Abyss (Apr 2005)
<
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/amazon/creatures.shtml> 16 Mar 2008
Isho, Fady D., AllExperts,
Interspecies Conflict: Saltwater Crocodile vs Green Anaconda (26 Jan 2008)
<
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Interspecies-Conflict-3754/2008/1/Saltwater-Crocodile-vs-Green.htm> 17 Mar 2008
Mayell, Hillary, National Geographic News,
Anaconda Expert Wades Barefoot in Venezuela's Swamps (13 Mar 2003)
<
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/04/0430_020503_anacondaman.html> 16 Mar 2008
National Geographic,
Green Anaconda<
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-anaconda.html> 16 Mar 2008
Peach, Natasha, BBC Oxford,
New Arrivals and Happy Feet (7 Jan 2008)
<
http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/content/articles/2008/01/07/happy_feet_feature.shtml> 16 Mar 2008
Rivas, Jesus A., The Life History of the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), with emphasis on its reproductive biology,
Introduction (2000)
<
www.anacondas.org/diss/intro.pdf> 17 Mar 2008
Rivas, Jesus A.,
Life history and conservation of the green anaconda - Eunectes murinus (2000)
<
http://pages.prodigy.net/anaconda/research.htm> 16 Mar 2008
Rivas, Jesus A., Herpetological Review,
Eunectes murinus: caiman predation (1999)
<
http://pages.prodigy.net/anaconda/fight.htm> 16 Mar 2008
Rivas, Jesus A., Herpetological Review,
Eunectes murinus: Juvenile predation (2001)
<
http://pages.prodigy.net/anaconda/juvpred.htm> 16 Mar 2008
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre,
AquaFacts: Green Anaconda - Eunectes murinus<
http://www.vanaqua.org/education/aquafacts/anaconda.html> 16 Mar 2008
Wikipedia,
Anaconda (16 Mar 2008)
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaconda> 16 Mar 2008
Wikipedia,
Green Anaconda (4 Mar 2008)
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Anaconda> 16 Mar 2008
Wikipedia,
Alligatoridae (10 Mar 2008)
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caiman> 16 Mar 2008
Wikipedia,
Spectacled Caiman (11 Mar 2008)
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectacled_Caiman> 16 Mar 2008