Anaconda Hunts the World’s Largest Rodent | National Geographic

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you are a giant female anaconda in
Venezuela you’re 13 feet long and you
are hungry no make that you are starving
and you’ve got your little asanas on the
largest rodents on the planet capybaras
adults can grow more than four feet long
and can top 100 pounds you mankind can’t
really see your prey all that well but
your tongue pulls in scent molecules
that tell you this is the meal you want
to swallow in one prolong go both you
and the calavaras spend most of your
time in the water and one unfortunate
capybara will have nowhere to hide when
you hunt it at high speed you slither
under water popping your head out to
make sure your game is true
the big reason you’re so focused on a
satisfying meal is that you’re about to
mate and only well-fed snakes breathe
successfully once you get pregnant you
won’t eat again until your babies are
born seven months later so you’d better
stuff yourself to the scales
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these birds can save themselves
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anacondas don’t poison their prey they
ambush them they bite then coil around
and crush the surprised creature to
death your death grip is so fierce the
victim not only can’t breathe it’s blood
can’t circulate you’ve suffered for this
meal the capybara took a bite out of you
but you get the last laugh when your
elastic jaws begin swallowing your
enormous victim headfirst
your last meal before mating has taken
six hours to ingest not digest just get
it into your gut the digestion takes
several days after that you’ll be fit
and full ready for that successful
breeding