National Geographic Land of the Anaconda

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00:00:05 In the wild heart of Venezuela,
00:00:08 earth and water merge to create
00:00:13 one that has bred many
00:00:30 But for the early explorers
00:00:34 no creature loomed larger
00:00:38 than South America's giant serpent.
00:00:47 Trophy hunters spun tales of 100-foot
00:00:56 and for centuries this astonishing
00:01:01 as tangled and dense
00:01:10 But now a barefoot biologist is
00:01:15 His mission: to snatch its secrets
00:01:21 giving us our first glimpse
00:01:23 into the hidden life
00:01:30 Big snake. Big snake.
00:02:24 In the first scarlet rays of morning
00:02:27 a primeval world awakens.
00:02:37 Birds by the tens of thousands respond
00:02:43 flooded savannas that cover
00:02:50 Months of drenching rains have
00:02:54 creating a soggy Serengeti as vast and
00:03:07 But the dry season has begun,
00:03:09 and herds of capybaras
00:03:15 These giant rodents the world's
00:03:27 Soon this lush place will be
00:03:32 so the creatures of the Ilanos
00:03:38 But their idyll of peace and plenty
00:03:47 Curled in the water hyacinth
00:03:53 a giant female anaconda.
00:03:56 She has not eaten for months...
00:03:59 and has her lidless eyes
00:04:13 Oblivious to her presence,
00:04:15 the capybara family plays.
00:04:22 Dull eyed but sharp tongued,
00:04:25 the snake tastes the air for
00:04:51 The season lends urgency to her hunger
00:04:54 It's time for her to mate
00:04:56 and only well-fed snakes
00:05:01 Once pregnant
00:05:04 the babies are born seven months later
00:05:25 At her strike, the Ilanos takes flight
00:05:28 But for one capybara, it's too late.
00:05:39 Anacondas kill with power, not poison.
00:05:44 Locked in the snake's deadly coils,
00:05:47 the capybara is being squeezed
00:05:52 so tight, in fact,
00:05:58 Her elastic jaws stretched
00:06:01 she now begins the ponderous business
00:06:13 She has paid a price for this meal
00:06:16 She bears the bite marks of
00:06:27 There may be other snakes in the world
00:06:32 but none can match it for sheer bulk.
00:06:35 Her body was a foot thick before
00:06:48 Six hours later, the last of the
00:06:53 Her post-meal proportions are
00:07:03 She's actually quite vulnerable now.
00:07:06 But fortunately for her,
00:07:08 the only creature audacious
00:07:11 with a full-grown female anaconda
00:07:14 is on the trail of another snake.
00:07:23 Slogging through the hyacinth is
00:07:28 Since 1992,
00:07:29 he's headed up the very first attempt
00:07:34 a study funded in part
00:07:42 Before the study began,
00:07:44 scientists knew virtually nothing
00:07:47 of this shy and dangerous creature.
00:07:51 Okay, you want me to hold...
00:07:53 Wildlife biologist Renee Owens joined
00:08:02 The husband and wife team have caught
00:08:04 and cataloged almost 800
00:08:08 Many are given names:
00:08:10 This one they call Godzilla.
00:08:13 Are you losing your grip?
00:08:15 In a second I will.
00:08:16 Oh, you won't. Hold it tight.
00:08:19 This is an animal that is the absolute
00:08:22 the custom-made animal for this place.
00:08:25 catch and kill animals much stronger
00:08:32 Oh, it's a big mama.
00:08:34 Come here and get a better grip.
00:08:36 Come here.
00:08:38 To work on a dangerous
00:08:41 potentially, at least, very dangerous,
00:08:43 you have to have complete trust in
00:08:48 because you can't go in
00:08:51 what could go wrong
00:08:56 Godzilla.
00:08:58 We are having a ball, aren't we?
00:09:05 What I want to do is to get to know
00:09:10 we're going to study where they live,
00:09:14 what they eat, when they breed,
00:09:16 what temperature they prefer,
00:09:18 what vegetation they like...
00:09:21 to put on the snake
00:09:25 Wait, wait, wait.
00:09:28 Jesus and Renee want to observe the
00:09:32 To do so, they must get radio
00:09:36 as possible in the next few weeks.
00:09:39 The force feeding may look brutal
00:09:43 annoyance to a snake large enough
00:09:48 I need you to hold the head now, Renee.
00:09:51 Below my hands.
00:09:53 Wait, wait. Okay, got her.
00:09:58 Ah, don't worry.
00:09:59 Oh, you want to kiss me, don't you?
00:10:01 I'm not your lover.
00:10:02 I'm trying to keep the female
00:10:04 And I have to do that any way I can.
00:10:07 They're slippery, there's no traction,
00:10:09 there's nothing to grab onto...
00:10:12 I'll pretty much kneel
00:10:15 I think it went down far enough
00:10:18 I have to keep her in one place.
00:10:21 It is thrilling and dangerous work.
00:10:24 But perhaps this female will lead them
00:10:28 the remarkable love life
00:10:37 Godzilla.
00:10:52 Jesus's living laboratory is an
00:10:57 thanks to three Venezuelan
00:10:59 play host to the anaconda study.
00:11:06 With so much ground to cover
00:11:11 on his radio-tagged snakes
00:11:18 Conspicuous in the hyacinth below is
00:11:24 a snake Jesus has named Diega.
00:11:30 Warmth from the sun speeds up Diega's
00:11:35 bloating her with gasses
00:11:39 Jesus will keep an eye on her
00:11:41 and return to collect her when she's
00:11:55 With the serpent sleeping
00:11:58 this part of Eden seems
00:12:07 But not all of the capybara's
00:12:11 are as harmless as the snowy egret.
00:12:15 For this is the land of the caiman,
00:12:17 South America's infamous
00:12:27 For a reptile of this size,
00:12:29 there is no more sumptuous meal
00:12:51 The scent of blood
00:12:53 of fearsome scavengers from below
00:12:56 Red piranha gather
00:13:08 But today
00:13:12 He's not about to let even a careless
00:13:22 Twice a day now
00:13:25 with spotters on the roof Renee
00:13:30 an apprentice snake hunter himself
00:13:36 It's been a red-letter day
00:13:39 four snakes already captured
00:13:48 They've come for Diega
00:13:50 who's been digesting her capybara
00:13:58 Jesus prefers to do his
00:14:01 it's the best way to feel the
00:14:05 under the hyacinth.
00:14:06 But in waters that contain piranha,
00:14:09 electric eels and caiman,
00:14:16 When anaconda-hunting,
00:14:18 there's safety in numbers
00:14:22 sometimes joins in.
00:14:24 When you go out, never by yourself
00:14:28 and they are predators
00:14:31 Two of my assistants
00:14:39 Chukka, look, snake, Chukka.
00:14:48 A protesting Diega is removed
00:14:52 Fortunately, she's still sluggish
00:14:56 and would rather escape than attack.
00:14:59 Wow!
00:15:02 It's beautiful.
00:15:03 Look at those colors.
00:15:05 Diega is not nearly as taken
00:15:11 Renee puts an old sock over
00:15:15 to keep the teeth at bay.
00:15:17 Stay!
00:15:18 Stay!
00:15:20 Be good.
00:15:24 This is like mud wrestling.
00:15:32 Previous catches of the day
00:15:37 It's time to steer a course for home.
00:16:10 With their home doubling
00:16:12 living with snakes has become
00:16:17 I think we can do the female first.
00:16:20 It's eight hundred
00:16:22 8-4-3.
00:16:25 Once inside,
00:16:29 What number is this?
00:16:30 Eight hundred and what?
00:16:31 Jesus marks each snake with a number.
00:16:37 Renee sketches their tail markings
00:16:43 It's easier than wrestling
00:16:45 but it has its drawbacks too.
00:16:49 Living with snakes basically
00:16:52 Literally, it just smells really bad.
00:16:54 They have this musk that smells
00:16:59 it smells just like an animal that's
00:17:04 And there are times
00:17:07 from three to 20 to 25 bags of
00:17:11 with four drums full of big snakes,
00:17:23 Diega measures about 13 feet long
00:17:28 but by no means the largest.
00:17:31 No one knows how long
00:17:35 The 150-foot monsters described in
00:17:39 are biologically impossible.
00:17:41 Even the largest trophy skins
00:17:45 But Jesus's most conservative
00:17:50 This is an animal that can grow
00:17:54 The weight of an animal of that kind
00:17:59 We're talking about more than a boar
00:18:10 Now cataloged and fitted
00:18:13 Diega is returned to the Ilanos.
00:18:15 Guess about here.
00:18:20 Renee and Jesus bid her a
00:18:23 hoping that she will successfully mate.
00:18:28 We'll keep in touch.
00:18:30 Yup, we'll be back.
00:18:31 You bet we'll keep in touch.
00:18:44 As the dry season progresses
00:18:48 and wildlife traffic jams worsen
00:18:57 Capybara herds are forced to
00:19:05 And tempers run short among
00:19:15 At the water's edge
00:19:26 But the mother is still in labor
00:19:33 The impending birth
00:19:36 But they'll play
00:19:52 Unlikely midwives, they strip the
00:19:58 and squabble over it
00:20:01 to take its first labored breaths.
00:20:13 The newborns could use a few minutes
00:20:17 but the Ilanos offers no grace periods.
00:20:23 They've been noticed by
00:20:29 And his interest may not be benign.
00:20:35 This newborn may be the offspring
00:20:38 or that of an upstart rival.
00:20:43 Scientists have yet to determine
00:20:48 In a rarely seen display of violence
00:20:51 he passes sentence on the newborns
00:21:03 No death goes unnoticed on the Ilanos.
00:21:09 Spectacled caiman bide their time.
00:21:28 Instantly, the vultures shed their
00:21:50 Then the caimans lurch ashore
00:22:09 An underwater cleanup
00:22:14 Piranhas, drawn as always
00:22:17 work their grisly magic.
00:22:55 Minutes later, all that remains of
00:23:07 In a place where some lifetimes are
00:23:10 a lucky survivor clings to its mother.
00:23:13 He may have no more
00:23:16 But the capybara's enemies
00:23:29 It's late afternoon in
00:23:32 Everywhere, anacondas are on the move,
00:23:35 taking advantage of cooler temperatures
00:23:47 Jesus and Renee savor these
00:23:51 Soon the rains will come,
00:23:57 Work in the Ilanos is really a
00:24:00 You can see the shape of the earth
00:24:05 You have the feeling that those
00:24:09 were there before Columbus
00:24:12 I feel like this is where I belong.
00:24:21 Skimmers grab a
00:24:36 The evening slant of light
00:24:39 as the birds head home to roost,
00:24:41 further darkening the
00:24:57 On a riverbank
00:25:01 of daytime rest plagued by flies.
00:25:04 The big cat needs to rouse
00:25:36 Morning finds a
00:25:39 looking for an escape
00:25:50 The drying river bed exposes muddy
00:25:55 cool, damp caves
00:25:57 where a snake might wait out
00:26:01 But the best laid plans of anacondas
00:26:05 and his uncanny knack for
00:26:12 This is the domain of an
00:26:16 an old friend with a
00:26:20 I think there's a snake here, guys.
00:26:23 Yup, a big one, too.
00:26:25 Big, like Marion big?
00:26:27 Probably, Marion, big, yeah.
00:26:29 If it's Marion,
00:26:31 She hates me.
00:26:33 Uh oh, she's Marion.
00:26:34 She already snapped at the pole.
00:26:35 She snapped at the pole already.
00:26:37 Renee will never forget her
00:26:42 Yeah, when Marion bit me
00:26:45 because I'd seen Jesus get bit
00:26:48 He might not admit that,
00:26:51 It goes with the territory.
00:26:53 I thought
00:26:55 because it happens all the time.
00:26:57 And she bit me, and yeah
00:27:00 That's a huge head just full of muscle
00:27:04 And she got the
00:27:06 and yeah, there's no denying it.
00:27:09 Alright
00:27:14 Big snake, big snake.
00:27:17 Marion has always made her
00:27:21 Jesus is convinced she remembers
00:27:25 and gets more dangerous
00:27:30 Alright.
00:27:33 Alright. It's her.
00:27:37 Marion is quite capable
00:27:48 If I let her wrap around me,
00:27:50 I'm gone.
00:27:53 three more people to unwrap her
00:27:57 she is absolutely impossible to undo.
00:27:59 You can't just stick your hands
00:28:03 It's much too tight.
00:28:05 So even if I have people helping me
00:28:09 because otherwise it's very hard to
00:28:13 And also the teeth are shaped like
00:28:21 First the mouth holds
00:28:25 to make a loop around the prey,
00:28:27 it doesn't matter
00:28:34 Anacondas can and do take prey
00:28:38 and many a person's
00:28:41 has been blamed on the giant snakes.
00:28:44 Though no human deaths
00:28:47 members of the anaconda team
00:28:52 So, yeah, having been bitten sometimes
00:28:56 yet doing the right thing
00:28:58 I've managed to have all my
00:29:10 Over the years
00:29:11 Jesus has recaptured some of
00:29:15 He's come to like and respect
00:29:19 but understands that the
00:29:22 Each time I catch them
00:29:25 I learn something new about them.
00:29:26 And I get attached to them.
00:29:28 I get to understand even
00:29:30 makes me really happy
00:29:32 But I don't think they're quite as
00:29:38 No, let go, let go. Give me room.
00:29:41 Trying to defend herself
00:29:43 this old friend has sunk
00:29:50 Okay, open the mouth now.
00:29:52 Ready?
00:29:53 Yeah.
00:29:55 Alright, push your finger forward
00:29:57 Because her teeth curve backwards,
00:30:00 he must fight off
00:30:03 which would only do more damage.
00:30:05 Instead, he must push his hand
00:30:10 to free his skewered finger.
00:30:13 Alright, back a little bit.
00:30:14 No, it's caught...
00:30:17 Yeah...
00:30:18 Need a stick.
00:30:20 Alright...
00:30:26 A stick, yeah.
00:30:27 Long on power and short
00:30:30 on stamina the anaconda relents
00:30:34 It's loosening up now.
00:30:35 Okay, okay.
00:30:36 Okay.
00:30:38 After six years of snake encounters
00:30:40 Jesus still marvels at the range
00:30:44 among his favorite creatures.
00:30:47 Anaconda have a
00:30:50 Some animals are normally oblivious
00:30:53 and we have caught them several times
00:30:55 and we know they are tame animals.
00:30:57 Some of them are absolute bitches.
00:31:00 They're really...
00:31:15 As the heat of the dry season
00:31:19 the reptilian residents of the Ilanos
00:31:28 Capybaras hunker down
00:31:40 For the yellow-headed caracara
00:31:42 the capybaras are an obliging,
00:31:56 The floodplain that lured many
00:32:01 is now evaporating rapidly
00:32:04 Stranded and suffocating
00:32:12 No one knows exactly why caimans gape
00:32:15 but they might as well be grinning
00:32:29 The crocodilians move in and put
00:32:33 But when the rains come again,
00:32:35 the carnivorous fish
00:32:44 It's now late May
00:32:46 six months since the Venezuelan savanna
00:32:52 But a season of calamity for fish
00:33:00 Dozens deep at the water's edge
00:33:12 Each species has perfected
00:33:21 Little distracts the voracious
00:33:25 but an uninvited guest is about
00:33:31 It's Diega, in search of a
00:33:40 Her arrival seems to elicit more
00:33:44 despite the fact that
00:33:50 It's almost as if they know that
00:33:54 and won't waste her energy striking
00:33:59 Indignant Orinoco geese announce
00:34:01 that this is no place
00:34:07 And the stilts escort her
00:34:12 Diega retreats, but with an anaconda's
00:34:17 leaving this place to the birds.
00:34:27 Eventually, Diega finds a suitable
00:34:35 It's likely that
00:34:39 come hither chemicals, or pheromones,
00:34:42 so that the males can locate her
00:34:45 as sexual divining rods.
00:35:03 Male anacondas are much smaller
00:35:06 But with these giant snakes
00:35:25 He arrives to find the mating party in
00:35:41 Several males have already wrapped
00:35:44 It may look like her dance
00:35:47 but sometimes a female will accommodate
00:35:52 a phenomenon Jesus is now trying
00:35:57 Breeding balls are made of one female
00:36:01 and the question is whether one male
00:36:06 Is it the largest male?
00:36:08 Is it the smallest?
00:36:10 Is it the one that gets their first?
00:36:12 Is it the one that tickles her better?
00:36:15 The "tickling" is done
00:36:19 the last vestige of his
00:36:27 After mating, the male leaves a sperm
00:36:31 but Jesus believes rival males
00:36:36 The key question
00:36:38 whether females are impregnated
00:36:41 can only be answered if
00:36:56 Following her radio signals,
00:36:58 Jesus and Renee are thrilled to find
00:37:07 What comes next will test their
00:37:13 Not only is gathering information
00:37:17 but it is basically a race
00:37:20 Once the dry season hits
00:37:23 trying to find as many snakes
00:37:27 Once we find breeding balls
00:37:29 Suddenly you have three four
00:37:32 to deal with at one catch.
00:37:35 So, that's a lot of work to do.
00:37:44 Back at the ranch, it's the males'
00:37:50 Jesus takes blood samples
00:37:53 Eventually, he'll compare their DNA
00:37:58 to find out who fathered whom
00:38:00 that is, if all goes well,
00:38:06 But that's far from certain.
00:38:08 She hasn't given birth in the
00:38:12 And she's up against the
00:38:16 There's no telling
00:38:24 The inland sea has become
00:38:28 Heat and crowding are already
00:38:41 The caracaran once a welcome
00:38:46 the weakened capybara has little
00:38:50 The bird feeds with impunity on
00:38:53 which were inflicted by rivals.
00:39:01 Nearby, an opportunistic
00:39:05 Known as the cougar or mountain
00:39:10 the puma finds easy and abundant
00:39:29 These are especially
00:39:32 Now pregnant
00:39:36 Some will disappear altogether
00:39:39 And she won't survive for long if she
00:39:52 Just seven degrees north
00:39:55 with the summer solstice approaching
00:40:05 Scarlet ibises keep a close eye
00:40:28 In waterholes turned sucking mud,
00:40:31 capybaras wallow and
00:40:42 With her water supply
00:40:45 Diega must now make
00:40:48 through the muck in search of shelter.
00:41:03 But the conditions only worsen,
00:41:06 and the next day finds Diega
00:41:10 under the baking mud itself.
00:41:15 Here she will wait for the rains...
00:41:33 Some pregnant females
00:41:36 where temperatures can
00:41:41 Many will not make
00:41:43 and their broods will die with them
00:41:46 a fate shared by many
00:42:02 On the parched plains of Venezuela,
00:42:05 the horizon rumbles
00:42:34 The scientists have left the flooded
00:42:37 not yet knowing if Diega or their
00:42:52 Not until the rains begin to let up
00:42:55 can a worried Jesus take
00:42:59 When I go to find Diega
00:43:02 I wonder if she had made it.
00:43:05 This dry season was so hard and so hot
00:43:09 that there was a good chance
00:43:23 But Diega has made it, surviving both
00:43:29 She's claimed a bit of high ground
00:43:33 only then will she eat again.
00:43:38 There will be other reptile births
00:43:43 All around, young caimans make their
00:43:52 The baby crocodilians emerge
00:43:55 snub nosed and chirping.
00:44:03 Almost immediately, they set forth
00:44:25 They are exposed
00:44:28 and waste no time making for
00:44:33 There, they congregate where their
00:44:42 Within hours of their birth,
00:44:44 they're pouncing after
00:45:04 By night, Diega prepares to usher
00:45:18 Unlike the caiman
00:45:21 she gives birth to live young.
00:45:30 Diega has about 40 babies
00:45:33 representing about a third
00:45:46 She also expels a dozen orange spheres
00:46:01 The starving mother eats
00:46:05 These will help sustain her until
00:46:20 She'll also eat stillborns
00:46:24 hastily backing off
00:46:35 Anacondas do not care for their young.
00:46:38 Diega's babies are now on their own.
00:46:53 Within minutes, the first of the
00:46:57 ready to take its
00:47:04 Perhaps half of
00:47:20 Even as the neighboring
00:47:23 the anaconda continues
00:47:38 This morning, the caimans find a free
00:47:43 Diega's remaining stillborns
00:47:56 Some of her living offspring
00:48:00 doing their best not to
00:48:36 It's time this newborn snake went
00:48:41 In fact, a baby caiman might do nicely
00:48:44 But to hunt is to
00:48:54 Usually, stealth and camouflage render
00:49:05 Like a root adrift in a current,
00:49:08 the baby makes
00:49:15 On rare occasions, though,
00:49:16 an inexperienced youngster
00:49:39 Another baby grabs this opportunity
00:49:44 But the Ilanos has not begun to exhaust
00:49:59 Like most cats
00:50:11 But he'll suffer a dunking in the
00:50:29 Long before they're full-grown
00:50:32 Diega's brood will be decimated.
00:50:36 Those babies have a
00:50:38 They have a lot of predators.
00:50:40 As much as the big ones
00:50:43 it is completely the
00:50:46 Nearly every animal can take them.
00:50:53 While Jesus gets acquainted with
00:50:57 they get their first taste of him.
00:51:02 With each new generation,
00:51:04 Jesus is one step closer
00:51:06 the mysteries of anaconda reproduction.
00:51:09 Like their parents
00:51:11 these babies will be numbered,
00:51:19 Then he will return them to the Ilanos
00:51:22 with a mixture of trepidation and envy
00:51:27 When I let them go
00:51:30 so graceful in the swamp as they do
00:51:33 And I have this sense of, you know,
00:51:37 the kids go to college that
00:51:39 They're out on their own
00:52:01 Though science is beginning
00:52:04 of terror that surrounds the anaconda,
00:52:06 many of the giant snake's greatest
00:52:11 In the continuing search for answers,
00:52:14 Jesus and Renee will have to probe
00:52:18 of South America's jungles,
00:52:22 and there's just no telling
00:52:26 I have no doubt that the giant
00:52:31 Whether we'll find it is
00:52:37 I've thought a lot about what to do
00:52:42 too big for me to catch
00:52:48 I don't know what I will do.
00:52:50 It will be some tough fight.
00:52:53 And I don't know who's gonna win.