Predator vs predator: how the giant anaconda compares to rivals when it comes to food
Known in some parts as the “Ghost of the Swamps,” this giant snake has an impressive diet.
I get that humans can enjoy a large ribeye steak one day while also take pleasure in a small bowl of green olives. What, and how much, you eat clearly depends on your appetite, mood, budget and several other factors. But given the stories I’d read about the mighty anaconda, it’s fair to say that I assumed the giant predator almost went big. I was wrong.
That’s right, the snake seems to be just as happy hunting tiny fish to tackling big mammals, and dines on rather a varied menu.
What do anacondas eat?
Let’s remember that anacondas are aquatic giants. Floating in marshes or swamps, they wait. And wait. Their prey is determined by what they can wrap around, which really doesn’t rule out too much.
Fish and amphibians form the base. Jungles, rivers, and wetlands provide a smorgasbord: rodents, birds, bird eggs, turtles, and other snakes. Smaller or juvenile anacondas stick to modest meals: small birds, young caimans, lizards and fish.
As they grow, they take on larger targets. Deer, wild pigs, peccaries, sheep and (don’t tell you kids) capybaras, become fair game. The yellow anaconda, for instance, is well known to eat this selection and even engage in cannibalism.
Predator matchups: who wins?
A closer look at how the anaconda stacks up against some of its fiercest rivals.
Anacondas vs crocodiles:
Crocodiles and anacondas share a patient hunting style, but they go about the kill differently. Crocodiles use bone-crushing bite force, ambushing antelope, buffalo, and even sharks in brackish waters. Anacondas can’t bite through bone, so they rely on constriction, squeezing until their prey suffocates before swallowing it whole. Their flexible jaws give them range, but they’re still limited by the need to ingest prey intact. When it comes to sheer size, crocodiles usually claim the bigger catch.
Anacondas vs jaguars:
The Amazon sets the stage for a rare predator-versus-predator showdown. Jaguars, with skull-piercing bite strength, often hunt anacondas. Yet there are records of massive snakes turning the tables, coiling around jaguars and eating them. These clashes are unusual, but they show how thin the line is between hunter and hunted. Size, surprise, and timing decide the victor.
How do anacondas kill their prey?
Anacondas are non‑venomous. They rely on brute strength – coiling, constriction, suffocation. They typically swallow prey head first, using recurved teeth and highly flexible jaws that stretch far wider than the body.
- The environmentalist eaten by the world’s largest snake
- Ten days, 100-degree heat, and 60 snakes later, she came out on top
And now, the jaw-droppers: Anacondas occasionally tackle some of its contenders, like jaguars, and even cows. That’s right, they can and do swallow large cats and cattle when the opportunity arises.
This wide range makes the anaconda a true apex in its realm, with prey choices limited only by opportunity and physical capability. Olives, though, don’t quite hit the hunger spot.
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