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Publication #WEC290

 

PossibleFlorida Invader: Yellow Anaconda1

Steve Johnson and Monica McGarrity2

This fact sheet is best viewed as a pdf, available here: edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/UW/UW33500.pdf

Figure 1. 

Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) Credits: Helder Duarte, CalPhotos, 2010


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Report Yellow Anaconda sightings immediately:

1-888-IveGot1 (1-888-483-4681; live animals only)

www.IveGot1.org (provide photos if possible)

The Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) is native to tropical South America. This species is not established in Florida, but escaped or released pets have been encountered in the wild. Yellow Anacondas grow to 15 feet long, only about half the size of Green Anacondas. They are large, nocturnal predators that kill prey by constriction. Yellow Anacondas could prey on nearly all fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals native to Florida, and several threatened and endangered species could be at risk. Yellow Anacondas are semi-aquatic and prefer still waters; the habitats found in the Everglades would provide a hospitable environment for these snakes. Females can breed within their first few years of life, and give birth to up to 80 live young. Lifespan ranges from 10–20 years.

Figure 2. 

The Yellow Anaconda's head is distinctively marked with five broad, dark stripes. Credits: Photo by Patrick Lynch, South Florida Water Management District, 2009; Illustration by United States Geological Survey, 2009


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Figure 3. 

The Yellow Anaconda's body is yellowish tan, and marked with abundant large, round dark spots. Spots on the lower sides of the body may have light-colored centers, but the centers are never bright orange like the side spots of Green Anacondas. Credits: Photo and illustration by Monica E. McGarrity, University of Florida, 2010


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Figure 4. 

Young Yellow Anacondas look nearly identical to adults. Credits: Photo by Patrick Jean, Wikimedia Commons, 2010


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Acknowledgments

This project was made possible in part by a grant from the South Florida National Parks Trust and the Ferris Greeney Family Foundation, and by the USDA-RREA. This document was created as additional reference material for the Introduced Reptile Early Detection and Documentation training program, also known as REDDy. For more information, visit http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/reddy.shtml.

Footnotes

1.

This document is WEC290, one of a series of the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date August 2010. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Steve A. Johnson, assistant professor and Extension specialist, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida/ IFAS–Plant City Center, 1200 North Park Road, Plant City, FL 33563; Monica McGarrity, biological scientist, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida/ IFAS–Plant City Center, 1200 North Park Road, Plant City, FL 33563

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.