Animals
|
The Anaconda
Anacondas spend most of their time in or around the water, and often rest in rivers with their head above the water, waiting for a luckless bird or animal to pass by. After strangling its victim, the anaconda swallows it under water. The anaconda preys on animals such as capybara, small deer, peccaries, tapir, fish, birds, and (occasionally) caiman. They have sometimes been known to attack jaguars, and even humans, swallowing them whole. Once the animal stops struggling, the anaconda releases its grip, then proceeds to swallow the animal head first. Like most snakes, the anaconda can unhinge its jaws to swallow animals bigger than itself. In the water, the anaconda is extremely agile and flicks its tongue constantly, using its sense of taste to find out information about its environment. It takes an anaconda several days (and perhaps even a week) to digest a large animal. During this period it is extremely docile, and just spends its time basking in the sun along a riverbank. Anacondas can sometimes also be found in trees close to the water's edge. |