With regards to probing, any anaconda 6 feet or larger can be easily spur sexed and probing is not necessary. Also, you are correct in that green anacondas are difficult to probe as the penetration angles involved are much different than with other species of boids. If this specimen is showing no evidence of an external spur structure then it is most definitely a female. Not only do males have exposed spur structures, the spur is also attached to a short external appendage that is also quite apparent.



See the photos below that I took some years ago of greens in my collection. The top photo is a young female at about 10 feet that shows the very small short spur that is directly attached to the body with no appendage. It can usually only be seen by pulling back on the surrounding scales as I am doing in the photo. The second photo is the same female, you can see the cavity in which the small female spurs are recessed and is now not visible as I am no longer pulling back on the area around it. The third photo shows a male spur on a specimen about the same size as the female above. The spur is completely external and the short appendage that the spur is connected too is also easily visible as well.



Do not put to much stock in the fact that this specimen looks too thin to be a female. The weight differences do not show up very prominently between the sexes until they get 8 to 10 feet and above and / or get more age on them. Also, underfed females can easily have the same appearance as a well fed male when the females are young and in the adult male size range.



Please let me know if you have any additional questions.



Kelly

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