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09-04-2017, 08:36 PM( This post was last modified: 10-19-2017, 01:23 AM by Ngala )
Here is a wonderful account of a green anaconda predation on a adult cougar. Originally posted on carnivora by gsm1234 (the credit goes to him).
Predation of an adult puma by an anaconda in south- eastern Brazil
We report the predation of a puma Puma concolor by an adult anaconda Eunectes murinus that occurred in south-eastern Brazil. Despite the death of both animals, the incident raises important questions regarding the role they play in their respec- tive niches in the wild.
We report here a natural predation event of an adult female puma by an adult anacon- da that occurred in the municipality of Pro- missão, on the north-western border of São Paulo state, Brazil. The incident was disco- vered when monitoring an adult female puma through radiotelemetry, as part of a research project on pumas, along the margins of a hy- droelectric dam, on the lower Tietê riverba- sin. The study is the result of a partnership between the Pró-Carnívoros Institute and the Hydroelectric Power Company AES Tietê, a subsidiary of AES Corp. (SISBIO Licence # 45774-1). The goal of the study is to evaluate the environmental health of the areas underthe influence of AES Tietê, using the puma as a conservation tool, through the assessment, evaluation, and monitoring of their popula- tion in the study area.
The study animal referred to in this report was an adult female, captured on 5 July 2015, with a weight of 42 kg. The permanent denti- tion showed teeth in excellent shape, with no excessive wear, and her age was estimated at 4-5 years. After equipped with a GPS/sa- tellite radio collar (Sirtrack, NZ), she was re- leased at the capture site. Until early October, we collected 2,053 locations of this cat, com- prising an area of 30 km2, which suggests she was a resident female used to prey upon athriving population of capybaras Hydrochae- ris hydrochaeris, as shown by the prevalence of this species in more than 20,000 wildlife photographs taken by our camera traps (53%, n = 12,215 photos of capybaras).
On 8 October 2015, the radio collar stopped sending locations to the satellite. After dis- cussion with the manufacturer and testing its voltage to discard a possible tempora- ry malfunction, we found it had actually stopped working. On 24 October we sent our field team to check the vicinity of her last coordinates, searching for the VHF si- gnal of the collar. After detecting the VHF signal with a handheld receiver and a di- rectional antenna, our team homed in and found the signal was coming from inside a ditch in a cattail patch, in high grass ve- getation within a matrix of sugarcane. As they approached, it became clear that the signal was coming from the water. Assu- ming at this point that someone had killed the puma and discarded the collar, they waded in, to search for it. To their surprise, they found a large anaconda, measuring 4.20 m and weighing 94 kg (as later veri- fied), in the shallow water (Fig. 1). Apparently, the puma had been swallowed by the anaconda.
*This image is copyright of its original author
*This image is copyright of its original author
As we needed to recover the radio collar, our field team, under our instruction, carefully captured the anaconda, aiming to keep it un- der observation in an adequate location un- til it regurgitated the collar. With a rope, the anaconda was lassoed and lifted onto the back of a pickup truck. During this operation, which lasted approximately 15 minutes, the snake was unusually apathic. Therefore, it was no surprise to find that, unfortunate- ly, the anaconda died after a few minutes. When informed of this, we decided to take it immediately to the Bauru Zoological Park, in the town of Bauru, SP, to conduct a necropsy by qualified veterinarians (Fig. 2). According to the necropsy report, the macroscopic di- agnosis showed pulmonary congestion with presence of parasites, oral necrosis, hepatic impairment caused by disruption of the liver, and parasitic tapeworm infestation in the in- testine. Thus, it was clear that the ease with which the animal was captured was due to the fact that it was highly debilitated and in state of imminent death.
Macroscopic examination of the carcass revealed multiple injuries, most certainly inflicted during the fight with the puma. We cannot affirm how the meeting between the anaconda and puma started. However, the evidence suggested a significant fight, whereby the felid proved to be a formidable opponent to the reptile. There were seve- ral external claw and tooth injuries on the snake, on the head, mouth, along the back and tail, as well as serious internal injuries, including lacerations on the liver (Fig. 3). Although the following is only speculation, it is interesting to note that the anaconda was missing a considerable portion of the tail, from some previous event, which had completely healed. Since this stump su- stained several fresh claw and tooth marks, it is possible that the cat mistook it for the head of the snake, during the fight, serving as a distraction that may have given a cru- cial advantage to the anaconda. Despite its unfortunate end (Fig. 4), the incident raises important questions regarding the natural relationships between these formidable predators, and the role they play in their respective niches in the wild. Anacondas have been reported to prey on large prey, such as capybaras, caiman Caiman sp., and even domestic dogs Canis familiaris, calves Bos taurus and sheep Ovis aries, but records like the one we describe here are rare. To our knowledge, this is the first record of an anaconda preying on a top predator like the puma.
(09-04-2017, 08:36 PM)HyperNova Wrote: Here is a wonderful account of a green anaconda predation on a adult cougar. Originally posted on carnivora by gsm1234 (the credit goes to him).
Predation of an adult puma by an anaconda in south- eastern Brazil
We report the predation of a puma Puma concolor by an adult anaconda Eunectes murinus that occurred in south-eastern Brazil. Despite the death of both animals, the incident raises important questions regarding the role they play in their respec- tive niches in the wild.
We report here a natural predation event of an adult female puma by an adult anacon- da that occurred in the municipality of Pro- missão, on the north-western border of São Paulo state, Brazil. The incident was disco- vered when monitoring an adult female puma through radiotelemetry, as part of a research project on pumas, along the margins of a hy- droelectric dam, on the lower Tietê riverba- sin. The study is the result of a partnership between the Pró-Carnívoros Institute and the Hydroelectric Power Company AES Tietê, a subsidiary of AES Corp. (SISBIO Licence # 45774-1). The goal of the study is to evaluate the environmental health of the areas underthe influence of AES Tietê, using the puma as a conservation tool, through the assessment, evaluation, and monitoring of their popula- tion in the study area.
The study animal referred to in this report was an adult female, captured on 5 July 2015, with a weight of 42 kg. The permanent denti- tion showed teeth in excellent shape, with no excessive wear, and her age was estimated at 4-5 years. After equipped with a GPS/sa- tellite radio collar (Sirtrack, NZ), she was re- leased at the capture site. Until early October, we collected 2,053 locations of this cat, com- prising an area of 30 km2, which suggests she was a resident female used to prey upon athriving population of capybaras Hydrochae- ris hydrochaeris, as shown by the prevalence of this species in more than 20,000 wildlife photographs taken by our camera traps (53%, n = 12,215 photos of capybaras).
On 8 October 2015, the radio collar stopped sending locations to the satellite. After dis- cussion with the manufacturer and testing its voltage to discard a possible tempora- ry malfunction, we found it had actually stopped working. On 24 October we sent our field team to check the vicinity of her last coordinates, searching for the VHF si- gnal of the collar. After detecting the VHF signal with a handheld receiver and a di- rectional antenna, our team homed in and found the signal was coming from inside a ditch in a cattail patch, in high grass ve- getation within a matrix of sugarcane. As they approached, it became clear that the signal was coming from the water. Assu- ming at this point that someone had killed the puma and discarded the collar, they waded in, to search for it. To their surprise, they found a large anaconda, measuring 4.20 m and weighing 94 kg (as later veri- fied), in the shallow water (Fig. 1). Appa- rently, the puma had been swallowed by the anaconda.
*This image is copyright of its original author
*This image is copyright of its original author
As we needed to recover the radio collar, our field team, under our instruction, carefully captured the anaconda, aiming to keep it un- der observation in an adequate location un- til it regurgitated the collar. With a rope, the anaconda was lassoed and lifted onto the back of a pickup truck. During this operation, which lasted approximately 15 minutes, the snake was unusually apathic. Therefore, it was no surprise to find that, unfortunate- ly, the anaconda died after a few minutes. When informed of this, we decided to take it immediately to the Bauru Zoological Park, in the town of Bauru, SP, to conduct a necropsy by qualified veterinarians (Fig. 2). According to the necropsy report, the macroscopic di- agnosis showed pulmonary congestion with presence of parasites, oral necrosis, hepatic impairment caused by disruption of the liver, and parasitic tapeworm infestation in the in- testine. Thus, it was clear that the ease with which the animal was captured was due to the fact that it was highly debilitated and in state of imminent death.
Macroscopic examination of the carcass revealed multiple injuries, most certainly inflicted during the fight with the puma. We cannot affirm how the meeting between the anaconda and puma started. However, the evidence suggested a significant fight, whereby the felid proved to be a formidable opponent to the reptile. There were seve- ral external claw and tooth injuries on the snake, on the head, mouth, along the back and tail, as well as serious internal injuries, including lacerations on the liver (Fig. 3). Although the following is only speculation, it is interesting to note that the anaconda was missing a considerable portion of the tail, from some previous event, which had completely healed. Since this stump su- stained several fresh claw and tooth marks, it is possible that the cat mistook it for the head of the snake, during the fight, serving as a distraction that may have given a cru- cial advantage to the anaconda. Despite its unfortunate end (Fig. 4), the incident raises important questions regarding the natural relationships between these formidable predators, and the role they play in their respective niches in the wild. Anacondas have been reported to prey on large prey, such as capybaras, caiman Caiman sp., and even domestic dogs Canis familiaris, calves Bos taurus and sheep Ovis aries, but records like the one we describe here are rare. To our knowledge, this is the first record of an anaconda preying on a top predator like the puma.
09-05-2017, 07:37 PM( This post was last modified: 09-05-2017, 08:13 PM by epaiva )
Predation of Green Anacondas and Caiman crocodilus in the Venezuelan Llanos
Caimans are a very important prey of Green Anacondas, large female Green Anacondas capture even the larger caimans over 180 cm long, according to the observations in the Venezuelan Llanos Caimans seem to be an important predator of anacondas as the following events reported by Rivas et al. (1999) suggest. On May 25 1996, he discovered a large caiman (over 180 cm TL) firmly gripping the head of big female (Olivia, 494 cm tl) who in turn had wrapped herself around the caiman`s head and neck. After approximately 15 minutes the snake relaxed her coils, apparently losing the struggle, it died. This was a large snake that he had seen eating a caimans of comparable size to this one. Since he found the snake severely wounded 2 and a half months previous to this event, it is likely that she was not in top physical shape and this may have played some role in the outcome of the event, she lost a lot of weight when it happened, it weighted only 29 kg. half her normal weigth.
Caiman crocodilus appear to exert a hight predation pressure on male anacondas during the dry season as can be seen in attached table, (males are smaller and leaner than females), Caimans predate on small and young anacondas.
*This image is copyright of its original author
*This image is copyright of its original author
Almost all large Green Anacondas have big scars produced by their prey as can be seen in pictures above.
Book Natural History of the Green Anaconda (Jesus Rivas)
(09-04-2017, 08:36 PM)HyperNova Wrote: Here is a wonderful account of a green anaconda predation on a adult cougar. Originally posted on carnivora by gsm1234 (the credit goes to him).
Predation of an adult puma by an anaconda in south- eastern Brazil
We report the predation of a puma Puma concolor by an adult anaconda Eunectes murinus that occurred in south-eastern Brazil. Despite the death of both animals, the incident raises important questions regarding the role they play in their respec- tive niches in the wild.
We report here a natural predation event of an adult female puma by an adult anacon- da that occurred in the municipality of Pro- missão, on the north-western border of São Paulo state, Brazil. The incident was disco- vered when monitoring an adult female puma through radiotelemetry, as part of a research project on pumas, along the margins of a hy- droelectric dam, on the lower Tietê riverba- sin. The study is the result of a partnership between the Pró-Carnívoros Institute and the Hydroelectric Power Company AES Tietê, a subsidiary of AES Corp. (SISBIO Licence # 45774-1). The goal of the study is to evaluate the environmental health of the areas underthe influence of AES Tietê, using the puma as a conservation tool, through the assessment, evaluation, and monitoring of their popula- tion in the study area.
The study animal referred to in this report was an adult female, captured on 5 July 2015, with a weight of 42 kg. The permanent denti- tion showed teeth in excellent shape, with no excessive wear, and her age was estimated at 4-5 years. After equipped with a GPS/sa- tellite radio collar (Sirtrack, NZ), she was re- leased at the capture site. Until early October, we collected 2,053 locations of this cat, com- prising an area of 30 km2, which suggests she was a resident female used to prey upon athriving population of capybaras Hydrochae- ris hydrochaeris, as shown by the prevalence of this species in more than 20,000 wildlife photographs taken by our camera traps (53%, n = 12,215 photos of capybaras).
On 8 October 2015, the radio collar stopped sending locations to the satellite. After dis- cussion with the manufacturer and testing its voltage to discard a possible tempora- ry malfunction, we found it had actually stopped working. On 24 October we sent our field team to check the vicinity of her last coordinates, searching for the VHF si- gnal of the collar. After detecting the VHF signal with a handheld receiver and a di- rectional antenna, our team homed in and found the signal was coming from inside a ditch in a cattail patch, in high grass ve- getation within a matrix of sugarcane. As they approached, it became clear that the signal was coming from the water. Assu- ming at this point that someone had killed the puma and discarded the collar, they waded in, to search for it. To their surprise, they found a large anaconda, measuring 4.20 m and weighing 94 kg (as later veri- fied), in the shallow water (Fig. 1). Apparently, the puma had been swallowed by the anaconda.
*This image is copyright of its original author
*This image is copyright of its original author
As we needed to recover the radio collar, our field team, under our instruction, carefully captured the anaconda, aiming to keep it un- der observation in an adequate location un- til it regurgitated the collar. With a rope, the anaconda was lassoed and lifted onto the back of a pickup truck. During this operation, which lasted approximately 15 minutes, the snake was unusually apathic. Therefore, it was no surprise to find that, unfortunate- ly, the anaconda died after a few minutes. When informed of this, we decided to take it immediately to the Bauru Zoological Park, in the town of Bauru, SP, to conduct a necropsy by qualified veterinarians (Fig. 2). According to the necropsy report, the macroscopic di- agnosis showed pulmonary congestion with presence of parasites, oral necrosis, hepatic impairment caused by disruption of the liver, and parasitic tapeworm infestation in the in- testine. Thus, it was clear that the ease with which the animal was captured was due to the fact that it was highly debilitated and in state of imminent death.
Macroscopic examination of the carcass revealed multiple injuries, most certainly inflicted during the fight with the puma. We cannot affirm how the meeting between the anaconda and puma started. However, the evidence suggested a significant fight, whereby the felid proved to be a formidable opponent to the reptile. There were seve- ral external claw and tooth injuries on the snake, on the head, mouth, along the back and tail, as well as serious internal injuries, including lacerations on the liver (Fig. 3). Although the following is only speculation, it is interesting to note that the anaconda was missing a considerable portion of the tail, from some previous event, which had completely healed. Since this stump su- stained several fresh claw and tooth marks, it is possible that the cat mistook it for the head of the snake, during the fight, serving as a distraction that may have given a cru- cial advantage to the anaconda. Despite its unfortunate end (Fig. 4), the incident raises important questions regarding the natural relationships between these formidable predators, and the role they play in their respective niches in the wild. Anacondas have been reported to prey on large prey, such as capybaras, caiman Caiman sp., and even domestic dogs Canis familiaris, calves Bos taurus and sheep Ovis aries, but records like the one we describe here are rare. To our knowledge, this is the first record of an anaconda preying on a top predator like the puma.
@epaiva
Thanks, but I didn't find this, a member of carnivora did. I notice you mention ''true proofs'', does that mean you are aware of other accounts of the sort that aren't reliable?
(09-07-2017, 06:53 AM)HyperNova Wrote: @epaiva
Thanks, but I didn't find this, a member of carnivora did. I notice you mention ''true proofs'', does that mean you are aware of other accounts of the sort that aren't reliable?
@HyperNova
I have not seen an account like this before but you can find information for example in Wikipedia that says Particularly large anacondas may consume large prey such as tapirs, and even Jaguars but nobody ever saw it happening or did not find a Jaguar or a Tapir inside the Anaconda like they did with this Puma. People tend to exagerate a lot with Green Anacondas, locals in the Venezuelan Llanos say that they can even eat a big Cattle.
09-07-2017, 09:26 AM( This post was last modified: 09-07-2017, 09:29 AM by epaiva )
Green Anacondas can capture prey as large as adult capybaras (40-55 kg), adult white tailed deer (55-70 kg) and full grown spectacled caiman (35-55 kg) Book Natural History of the Green Anaconda (Jesus Rivas)
There is one or more account of anaconda predation on jaguar from the book ''Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons''. However those accounts are very little detailed with no description of the animals. They also don't have any picture or drawing iirc. Do you think they are reliable?
There is one or more account of anaconda predation on jaguar from the book ''Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons''. However those accounts are very little detailed with no description of the animals. They also don't have any picture or drawing iirc. Do you think they are reliable?
You are right my Friend I have that Book and it does not have detailed descripcion and pictures of the animals, I dont think it is completely reliable, here in South America (Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela) many people say they have seen huge Anacondas up to 12 meters long but you can not find a picture of one over 6 mt long the only thing you can find is the skin and Snake skins are not acceptables as proof of giant snake's size because they are easily stretched up to two times the length of the snake. I have been looking for huge Anacondas since 2001 and the longest one I found measured 5,35 mt long, I contacted Jesus Rivas who has captured and measured more than 800 Anacondas and the longest one measured by him was 5,21 mt long. According to the information of the late Jose Ayarzaguena a herpetologist who worked in the Venezuelan Llanos for 30 years the largest he captured measured 6,50 mt long but he did not weight her. People fear too much big snakes and many persons kill them when ever the see a big one, they are only safe from man in protected areas, lets wait until some one discovers one like the one you posted that predated the Cougar.
09-08-2017, 08:07 AM( This post was last modified: 09-08-2017, 08:32 AM by epaiva )
Pictures of Big Anacondas killed by man, the first Anaconda had consumed a calf and the second one in the boat killed a big caiman. Book Fauna Legendaria (Guillermo Lopez Corcuera) 1984
09-08-2017, 08:18 AM( This post was last modified: 05-15-2019, 04:00 AM by epaiva )
Green Anaconda 4,90 mt long and 72 kgs that was trying to catch the caiman after the release, it escaped at the last moment, the second Anaconda in the next two pictures was larger and more powerful than the first one we estimated it measured about 5,20 mt and weighted over 85 kg, we were ready to leave the ranch when we found her and we didn't take the measurements.
09-25-2017, 09:04 AM( This post was last modified: 09-25-2017, 09:10 AM by epaiva )
Big Anaconda predating a Orinoco Goose in the Venezuelan Llanos, taken from the book Guia de las Serpientes de Venezuela (Luis Fernando Navarrete S. - Juan C. Lopez-Johnston - Alberto Blanco Davila) credit to Javier Mesa
Green Anaconda predation
