Killer anacondas! Let's talk about man-eating snakes at the movies...

Ok I'm a bit late to the party on this one, following the recent release of the latest Anaconda movie- a homage to its cheesy, thriller genre predecessor of the same name and starring comedy favourites Jack Black and Paul Rudd. Several people have asked me recently if I'd be going to see it, on the assumption that as a reptile professional, I loathe monster movies that fear monger the creatures I've spend a lifetime advocating for. The truth is, I love a monster movie! And though it may be true that the likes of Jaws, Arachnophobia and Anaconda have no doubt been the source of many a phobia, and promote all sorts of nonsense about many misunderstood creepy creatures, it's also a fact that they have inspired a huge number of folks to seek out careers studying, researching, protecting and conserving these animals as well.

As for me, yes, I am "that person" who'll sit through the movie commenting "they don't do that" or "that's not realistic" or "they're not that big!" and correcting the inaccuracies scene by scene, however, I also can thoroughly enjoy these movies for what they are, which are camp horror flicks designed to entertain, not educate! As one American Humane rep (the folks who monitor and advocate for welfare on film sets) commonly reminds me when I'm on set filming with animals, if I'm moaning about inaccuracies (e.g. this animal wouldn't naturally behave like this, or this animal isn't native to where the story is based, etc), "we're not making a documentary here!!", and she's right, we can't get too hung up on details when the point of the thing is telling a fun story. That said, let's use the Anaconda film as a nice opportunity to check out some cool facts about real anacondas, while also busting a few myths that the movies perpetuate. I first worked with anacondas in a zoo setting in 2002, and I was instantly attracted to them, having first got hooked learning about them on National Geographic documentaries as a kid, watching anaconda researcher and ecologist Jesus Rivas, who would wade through swamps filled with sting rays and piranhas barefoot, in order to better find the anacondas by feeling them underfoot while they hid beneath the surface.

Anacondas can indeed be cantankerous, but they are certainly not man-eaters, and while the females can reach enormous sizes of up to 30 feet long and 550 pounds (227 kg), they average closer to 15-20 feet in length. The males by comparison are much smaller and typically grow to lengths of half that of the females! - Check out "Jones" who was about 6 years old when that picture was taken, and his sister at that time was about 3 times bigger! So watch out for very realistic computer generated images and videos showing any snakes bigger than this- there's a LOT of AI slop doing the rounds out there!

These snakes have a very froggy appearance, being superbly adapted for a mostly aquatic lifestyle (to better support their enormous weight and help in ambush hunting when prey species approach the waters edge to drink), with their eyes positioned very high on their heads by comparison to other species of snake, so they can peek above the surface while their bodies remain hidden below. They are excellent swimmers, and though they have a fast strike when biting (for defense or feeding), on land, the lager individuals are pretty cumbersome and cannot move that fast, so any movie scenes you see of people being chased by them are pretty unrealistic! Anacondas only attack prey they want to eat, and though they will bite and release as a defensive move if they are grabbed, cornered or threatened, when feeding, they will bite, hang on and rapidly coil around the prey to constrict it to death before swallowing the food whole, usually while still wrapped around. Coiling is impressively fast, and these snakes are unbelievably strong, seemingly more powerful than other snakes of similar sizes, in my experience! Once they've eaten a large meal, they will hide somewhere warm and quiet to digest and not move much, or hunt for a considerable time- a large meal such as a small deer or caiman can last up to a year! So the notion of a large snake chasing and eating multiple humans within a few hours or days is again, very silly. They also do not hunt or kill for any purpose other than feeding.

Can you see the prey moving down the body? Yes, to a point- when our snakes feed, you can see a lump moving down but once it hits the midsection of the animal, you can't see it very well, and you certainly wouldn't be able to see the facial features of a human through the snakes skin (like in the movie) if they were swallowed! If they consume a huge meal, you can of course see a tell-tale bulge in the mid section of the snake, and in the days following feeding, they get even more bloated as the meal is broken down by digestive juices going to work, and gasses being released in the stomach. Movies love showing snakes with their mouths hanging open threateningly the whole time, but in reality, snakes keep their mouths shut most of the time, only gaping to yawn occasionally, or when swallowing food. Some species will gape as a defensive display, but not so much with the giant species. Screaming snakes? LOL! I've never understood why movies love to depict snakes and bugs screaming all the time- I suppose to add drama, as in reality these species are largely silent. Snakes will sometimes huff or hiss (when exerting themselves or as a defensive tactic to intimidate threats) and some such as king cobras and bull snakes can make a rattling growl sound, again as a defense, but they certainly don't scream if distressed, or nor would they ever emit a sound while hunting- they are stealth predators after all! Hopefully this piece has debunked a few movie myths for you- did I miss anything? Let me know if I did! The take home is, you don't need to worry about giant killer snakes hunting you in the jungle (or anywhere for that matter), and you can catch the new Anaconda movie streaming very soon (despite the boa constrictor pattern on the "anaconda" featured on the poster- OOPS!!) I loved it personally- watch it for a very silly, funny jungle romp, that pays homage to the iconic original thriller that was so bad it was good, and also worth a re-watch, especially if you haven't seen it before and want to appreciate the cameos in the new one! And finally, if you'd like the chance to learn more about big snakes, up lose and personal, with one of our gentle giants, get in touch to book an encounter! We do home visits, groups and clubs, schools and SEN sessions, birthday parties,1-2-1 and adults gatherings and events too!