14.7.2008

A green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) which was brought to Sri Lanka some five years ago along with a male of the species, has given birth to 20 baby anacondas in the Dehiwala Zoo, officials said.

According to the Director of the Dehiwela National Zoological Gardens, Duminda Jayaratne, the mother anaconda had given birth to 23 baby anacondas Friday and of them 20 had survived.

"Both the mother and the baby anacondas are in good health," he said.

The 24-acre Dehiwela zoological garden houses nearly 350 species of animals, birds and reptiles.

A veterinary surgeon in the Central Nuwara-Eliya District said it was a rare occurrence for anacondas, the largest reptile in the world, to give birth while in captivity, especially in a relatively unfamiliar territory.

"Probably the tropical and humid conditions in Sri Lanka would have suited them to produce healthy babies," said A. Nanadakumar, a veterinary doctor.

Anaconda is a type of python largely found in South American jungles and shallow waters and is supposed to have been misnamed by the Portuguese after the Sri Lankan python, the 'pimbura' or 'henakandaya'.

Green anacondas can grow to more than 29 feet (8.8 meters), weigh more than 550 pounds (227 kilograms),and measure more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) in diameter. Females are significantly larger than males.