Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to refer only to one species, in particular, the common or green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), which is the largest snake in the world by weight, and the second longest after the reticulated python.
Etymology
The South American names anacauchoa and anacaona were suggested in an account by Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, but the idea of a South American origin was questioned by Henry Walter Bates who, in his travels in South America, failed to find any similar name in use. The word anaconda is derived from the name of a snake from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) that John Ray described in Latin in his Synopsis Methodica Animalium (1693) as serpens indicus bubalinus anacandaia zeylonibus, ides bubalorum aliorumque jumentorum membra conterens.[2] Ray used a catalogue of snakes from the Leyden museum supplied by Dr. Tancred Robinson, but the description of its habit was based on Andreas Cleyer who in 1684 described a gigantic snake that crushed large animals by coiling around their bodies and crushing their bones.[3]Henry Yule in his Hobson-Jobson notes that the word became more popular due to a piece of fiction published in 1768 in the Scots Magazine by a certain R. Edwin. Edwin that described a 'tiger' being crushed to death by an anaconda, when there actually never were any tigers in Sri Lanka.[a] Yule and Frank Wall noted that the snake was in fact a python and suggested a Tamil origin anai-kondra meaning elephant killer.[5] A Sinhalese origin was also suggested by Donald Ferguson who pointed out that the word Henakandaya (hena lightning/large and kanda stem/trunk) was used in Sri Lanka for the small whip snake (Ahaetulla pulverulenta)[6] and somehow got misapplied to the python before myths were created.[7][8][9]
The name commonly used for the anaconda in Brazil is sucuri, sucuriju or sucuriuba.[10]
Skeleton at the Redpath Museum4.3-metre (14 ft) anaconda skeleton (center) on display at the Museum of Osteology alongside other species for comparison
Species and other uses of the term "anaconda"
The term "anaconda" has been used to refer to:
Eunectes murinus in Colombia
Any member of the genus Eunectes, a group of large, aquatic snakes found in South America:
Eunectes murinus, the green anaconda – the largest species, found east of the Andes in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago
Eunectes notaeus, the yellow anaconda – a small species, found in eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina
Eunectes deschauenseei, the darkly-spotted anaconda – a rare species, found in northeastern Brazil and coastal French Guiana
The term was previously applied imprecisely, indicating any large snake that constricts its prey,[11] though this usage is now archaic.
"Anaconda" is also used as a metaphor for an action aimed at constricting and suffocating an opponent – for example, the Anaconda Plan proposed at the beginning of the American Civil War, in which the Union Army was to effectively "suffocate" the Confederacy. Another example is the anaconda choke in the martial art Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is performed by wrapping your arms under the opponent's neck and through the armpit, and grasping the biceps of the opposing arm, when caught in this move, you will lose consciousness if you do not tap out.
^In South Asian languages like Hindi, the leopard and tiger may share the same name, that is Bágh (Hindi: बाघ), and it is the former that occurs in Sri Lanka.[4]
References
^Hsiou, Annie S.; Albino, Adriana M. (1 December 2009). "Presence of the Genus Eunectes (Serpentes, Boidae) in the Neogene of Southwestern Amazonia, Brazil". Journal of Herpetology. 43 (4): 612–619. doi:10.1670/08-295.1. S2CID 55097666.
^Ray, John (1693). Synopsis methodica animalium quadrupedum et serpentini generis (in Latin). London: Impensis S. Smith & B. Walford. p. 332. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.41459 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
^Owen, Charles (1742). An essay towards a natural history of serpents. London. p. 114. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.58688 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
^Pocock, Reginald I. (1930). "The Panthers and Ounces of Asia". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 34 (2): 307–336 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
^Wall, Frank (1921). Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Ceylon: H. R. Cottle, Government Printer. p. 48. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.53694 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
^Willey, Arthur (1904). "Some rare snakes of Ceylon". Spolia Zeylanica. 1 (3): 81–89 – via Internet Archive.
^Ferguson, Donald (1897). "The derivation of "Anaconda"". Notes and Queries. 12 (294): 123–124. doi:10.1093/nq/s8-XII.294.123 – via Internet Archive.
^Skeat, Walter W. (1882). A concise etymological dictionary of the English Language. Oxford University Press. p. 16 – via Internet Archive.
The dictionary definition of anaconda at Wiktionary
This article includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names). If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
October 06, 2023
anaconda, this, article, about, snakes, other, uses, disambiguation, water, boas, group, large, snakes, genus, eunectes, they, found, tropical, south, america, four, species, currently, recognized, temporal, range, miocene, recent, green, anaconda, eunectes, m. This article is about snakes For other uses see Anaconda disambiguation Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus Eunectes They are found in tropical South America Four species are currently recognized AnacondaTemporal range Miocene recent 1 Green anaconda Eunectes murinusScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ReptiliaOrder SquamataSuborder SerpentesFamily BoidaeSubfamily BoinaeGenus EunectesWagler 1830Range of EunectesSynonymsBoa Linnaeus 1758 Contents 1 Description 2 Etymology 3 Species and other uses of the term anaconda 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksDescriptionAlthough the name applies to a group of snakes it is often used to refer only to one species in particular the common or green anaconda Eunectes murinus which is the largest snake in the world by weight and the second longest after the reticulated python EtymologyThe South American names anacauchoa and anacaona were suggested in an account by Peter Martyr d Anghiera but the idea of a South American origin was questioned by Henry Walter Bates who in his travels in South America failed to find any similar name in use The word anaconda is derived from the name of a snake from Ceylon Sri Lanka that John Ray described in Latin in his Synopsis Methodica Animalium 1693 as serpens indicus bubalinus anacandaia zeylonibus ides bubalorum aliorumque jumentorum membra conterens 2 Ray used a catalogue of snakes from the Leyden museum supplied by Dr Tancred Robinson but the description of its habit was based on Andreas Cleyer who in 1684 described a gigantic snake that crushed large animals by coiling around their bodies and crushing their bones 3 Henry Yule in his Hobson Jobson notes that the word became more popular due to a piece of fiction published in 1768 in the Scots Magazine by a certain R Edwin Edwin that described a tiger being crushed to death by an anaconda when there actually never were any tigers in Sri Lanka a Yule and Frank Wall noted that the snake was in fact a python and suggested a Tamil origin anai kondra meaning elephant killer 5 A Sinhalese origin was also suggested by Donald Ferguson who pointed out that the word Henakandaya hena lightning large and kanda stem trunk was used in Sri Lanka for the small whip snake Ahaetulla pulverulenta 6 and somehow got misapplied to the python before myths were created 7 8 9 The name commonly used for the anaconda in Brazil is sucuri sucuriju or sucuriuba 10 nbsp Skeleton at the Redpath Museum nbsp 4 3 metre 14 ft anaconda skeleton center on display at the Museum of Osteology alongside other species for comparisonSpecies and other uses of the term anaconda The term anaconda has been used to refer to nbsp Eunectes murinus in ColombiaAny member of the genus Eunectes a group of large aquatic snakes found in South America Eunectes murinus the green anaconda the largest species found east of the Andes in Colombia Venezuela the Guianas Ecuador Peru Bolivia Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago Eunectes notaeus the yellow anaconda a small species found in eastern Bolivia southern Brazil Paraguay and northeastern Argentina Eunectes deschauenseei the darkly spotted anaconda a rare species found in northeastern Brazil and coastal French Guiana Eunectes beniensis the Bolivian anaconda the most recently defined species found in the Departments of Beni and Pando in Bolivia The term was previously applied imprecisely indicating any large snake that constricts its prey 11 though this usage is now archaic Anaconda is also used as a metaphor for an action aimed at constricting and suffocating an opponent for example the Anaconda Plan proposed at the beginning of the American Civil War in which the Union Army was to effectively suffocate the Confederacy Another example is the anaconda choke in the martial art Brazilian jiu jitsu which is performed by wrapping your arms under the opponent s neck and through the armpit and grasping the biceps of the opposing arm when caught in this move you will lose consciousness if you do not tap out See alsoJaguar a competitor or predatorNotes In South Asian languages like Hindi the leopard and tiger may share the same name that is Bagh Hindi ब घ and it is the former that occurs in Sri Lanka 4 References Hsiou Annie S Albino Adriana M 1 December 2009 Presence of the Genus Eunectes Serpentes Boidae in the Neogene of Southwestern Amazonia Brazil Journal of Herpetology 43 4 612 619 doi 10 1670 08 295 1 S2CID 55097666 Ray John 1693 Synopsis methodica animalium quadrupedum et serpentini generis in Latin London Impensis S Smith amp B Walford p 332 doi 10 5962 bhl title 41459 via Biodiversity Heritage Library Owen Charles 1742 An essay towards a natural history of serpents London p 114 doi 10 5962 bhl title 58688 via Biodiversity Heritage Library Pocock Reginald I 1930 The Panthers and Ounces of Asia Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 34 2 307 336 via Biodiversity Heritage Library Wall Frank 1921 Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon Ceylon H R Cottle Government Printer p 48 doi 10 5962 bhl title 53694 via Biodiversity Heritage Library Willey Arthur 1904 Some rare snakes of Ceylon Spolia Zeylanica 1 3 81 89 via Internet Archive Ferguson Donald 1897 The derivation of Anaconda Notes and Queries 12 294 123 124 doi 10 1093 nq s8 XII 294 123 via Internet Archive Skeat Walter W 1882 A concise etymological dictionary of the English Language Oxford University Press p 16 via Internet Archive Yule Henry Burnell Arthur C 1903 Hobson Jobson London John Murray pp 24 25 via Internet Archive Dicionario online de portugues sucuriju in Portuguese Retrieved 19 February 2014 Simpson J A Weiner E S C eds 1991 The Compact Oxford English Dictionary 2 ed Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 861258 3 External links nbsp Wikisource has the text of the 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article Anaconda nbsp The dictionary definition of anaconda at Wiktionary nbsp This article includes a list of related items that share the same name or similar names If an internal link incorrectly led you here you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Anaconda amp oldid 1178577795, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
