This week’s episode is all about the bulkiest snake beast of them all – the ANACONDA. First we look into what neonate anacondas get up to. Then move onto a paper that investigates the human-anaconda conflict across South America (spoiler: people don’t like monster snakes). In lieu of a newly discovered anaconda we discuss a snake with a strange tail in Species of Bi-week. FULL REFERENCE LIST AVAILABLE AT: herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Rivas, Jesús A., Cesar R. Molina, Sarah J. Corey, and G. M. Burghardt. 2016. “Natural History of Neonatal Green Anacondas (Eunectes Murinus): A Chip Off the Old Block.” Copeia 104 (2): 402–10.

Miranda, Everton B P, Raimundo P Ribeiro-, and Christine Strüssmann. 2016. “The Ecology of Human-Anaconda Conflict: A Study Using Internet Videos.” Tropical Conservation Science 9 (1): 43–77.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Aengals, R., and S. R. Ganesh. 2013. "Rhinophis goweri-a new species of Shieldtail snake from the southern Eastern Ghats, India." Russian Journal of Herpetology 20 (1): 61-65.

Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:

De la Quintana, Paola, Jesús A. Rivas, Federico Valdivia, and Luis F. Pacheco. 2017. "Home range and habitat use of Beni anacondas (Eunectes beniensis) in Bolivia." Amphibia-Reptilia 38 (4): 547-553.

Denny, MW, BL Lockwood, and GN Somero. 2009. “Can the Giant Snake Predict Palaeoclimate?” Nature 460 (7255): E3–4.

Gans, Carl, Herbert C. Dessauer, and Dusan Baic. 1978. "Axial differences in the musculature of uropeltid snakes: the freight-train approach to burrowing." Science 199 (4325): 189-192.

Head, JJ, JI Bloch, AK Hastings, JR Bourque, EA Cadena, FA Herrera, PD Polly, and CA Jaramillo. 2009. “Head et Al. Reply.” Nature 460 (7255): E4–5.

Head, JJ, JI Bloch, AK Hastings, JR Bourque, EA Cadena, FA Herrera, PD Polly, and CA Jaramillo. 2009. “Giant Boid Snake from the Palaeocene Neotropics Reveals Hotter Past Equatorial Temperatures.” Nature 457 (7230). Nature Publishing Group: 715–17.

Headland, TN, and HW Greene. 2011. “Hunter-Gatherers and Other Primates as Prey, Predators, and Competitors of Snakes.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108 (52): 1470–74.

Makarieva, AM, VG Gorshkov, and B-L Li. 2009. “Re-Calibrating the Snake Palaeothermometer.” Nature 460 (7255): E2–3.

Maritz, B, J Penner, M Martins, J Crnobrnja-Isailović, S Spear, LRV Alencar, J Sigala-Rodriguez, et al. 2016. “Identifying Global Priorities for the Conservation of Vipers.” Biological Conservation 204: 94–102.

Milanesi, P, FT Breiner, F Puopolo, and R Holderegger. 2017. “European Human-Dominated Landscapes Provide Ample Space for the Recolonization of Large Carnivore Populations under Future Land Change Scenarios.” Ecography 40: 1359–68.

Moleón, M, JA Sánchez-Zapata, JM Gil-Sánchez, JM Barea-Azcón, E Ballesteros-Duperón, and E Virgós. 2011. “Laying the Foundations for a Human-Predator Conflict Solution: Assessing the Impact of Bonelli’s Eagle on Rabbits and Partridges.” PLoS ONE 6 (7).

Natusch, D. J., and J. A. Lyons. 2012. "Relationships between ontogenetic changes in prey selection, head shape, sexual maturity, and colour in an Australasian python (Morelia viridis)." Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 107 (2): 269-276.

O'Shea, Mark, Steve Slater, Rebecca Scott, Sarah A. Smith, Katie McDonald, Bob Lawrence and Marie Kubiak. 2016. “Eunectes murinus (Green Anaconda) Reproduction / Facultative parthenogenesis.” Herpetological Review 47 (1): 73

Pike, DA, L Pizzatto, BA Pike, and R Shine. 2008. “Estimating Survival Rates of Uncatchable Animals: The Myth of High Juvenile Mortality in Reptiles.” Ecology 89 (3): 607–11.

Potts, JM, ST Buckland, L Thomas, and A Savage. 2012. “Estimating Abundance of Cryptic but Trappable Animals Using Trapping Point Transects: A Case Study for Key Largo Woodrats.” Methods in Ecology and Evolution 3 (4): 695–703.

Sniderman, JMK. 2009. “Biased Reptilian Palaeothermometer?” Nature 460 (7255): E1–2.

Strimple, P. D. 1993. “Overview of the natural history of the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus).” Herpetological Natural History, 1(1): 25-35.

Waller T., Micucci P., Alvarenga E. 2007. Conservation biology of the yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) in northeastern Argentina. In: Biology of the boas and pythons. Henderson R.W. and Powell R. (Eds). Eagle Mountain Publishing, Utah

Other Links/Mentions:

Uropeltidae blog - http://snakesarelong.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/shield-tailed-snakes-uropeltidae.html

Harry Greene. Primates And Snakes, 75 Million Years Of Deadly Dialogue? - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/primates-and-snakes-75-million-years-of-deadly-dialogue-video/

Sami Asad’s. Frogs and deforestation, Science Slam Talk - https://youtu.be/7pvwtaZPicI

Music – Treehouse by Ed Nelson