But Jesús Rivas is a remarkable man, with an unquenchable curiosity about everything involving snakes and, indeed, with insight ranging from social issues to free-market economics.

The challenge is even greater if the serpent in question is the largest in the world, with a fearsome reputation. 'Snakes are widely feared and despised, and it takes an unusual person to devote her or his life to studying them. ContentsĬhapter 1: Science, love, and anaconda researchĬhapter 2: The anaconda challenge: learning how to learnĬhapter 3: What is a good real state for an anaconda?Ĭhapter 4: Anaconda's tales: Sickness & health, birth & death in the life of a giant snakeĬhapter 5: How much is supper?: Predator diet and prey retaliationĬhapter 6: The largest of motherhood: Fecundity and female reproductive strategyĬhapter 8: Hey, it's me, it's me!: Courtship and confusion in the male reproductive strategyĬhapter 9: The origin of the mystery: Adapting to life in a big damĬhapter 10: Conservation of anacondas and beyond: the interface of biology, politics and economicsĬhapter 11: Epilogue: A different approach The rich photographs provided, paired with Rivas' storytelling, makes this the perfect book for anyone looking to learn (or even learn more!) about this mysterious snake. The resulting book is a complete and engaging examination of the world's largest snake. Rivas uses an ecological and evolutionary framework to present his research and supplements hard data with descriptions of his research methods, including how he tracked down the anaconda for observation and study in wild. Drawing on twenty-five years of research on this reptile in the wild and in captivity, Rivas delves into the biology, behavior, demography, reproductive habits, and diet of the anaconda, as well as issues relating to its conservation.

More than just presenting facts about anacondas, Rivas tells his story about studying them in the field.Īnaconda presents a comprehensive treatment of the natural history of the elusive green anacondas. In Anaconda: The Secret Life of the World's Largest Snake, Rivas describes his experiences over a quarter of a century, exploring the secret life of these fantastic snakes, including: their diet, movement patterns, life and tribulations, survival, behavior, and fascinating reproductive life. Written by Jesús Rivas, the undisputed expert on the biology of anacondas, this is the first authoritative book on the biology of the green anaconda.

Largest anaconda ever real