Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello i was just wondering if male greens and female greens have the same lifespan, or if one of them usually live longer. If one of them live longer i could imagine it would be the female, but i don`t know.
And what is the averedge lifespan of an anaconda?

Hope you can help me out here.

Thanks a lot Jonas

im not sure of the life span but i would have to disagree and say that a male would live longer because males dont have to reproduce young and reproduction is hard on a females body just my opinion
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kevin
36 pythons and boas and 4 lizards

Maybe you`re right about that.
Is there anyone else that got any info7thoughts they like to share?
Does anyone actually know the lifespan of anacondas?

Thanks a lot Jonas

I doubt if there have been enough individuals kept in long-term captivity to produce a meaningful average for lifespan. Records reported include one for 29 years; another for 13.9. Extrapolating from records for other large boids, a lifespan of twenty years in captivity seems a reasonable expectation. I found no information on sex or species differences in lifespan of Eunectes.

Bill is correct in that there has not been the opportunity to collect data on lifespans in captivity for green anacondas due to the rarity of long term captives. The data on life spans in their natural environment is also virtually non-existent. I have collected through the literature, and from the greens Jud and I have worked with in our own collections, a fair amount of growth data on greens under 10 to 15 years of age. By comparing our growth data to the small amount of field study data available for larger individuals, one can extrapolate growth rates and come up with some assumptions on ages of the larger greens encountered in the wild. The largest greens are found in river environments, and there is no question that the largest riverine greens that have been seen, and or collected, would measure in the range of 25 or 26 feet. By making a few calculations from the available data, I have no doubt that these very large females are probably 35 to 40 years of age, and possibly slightly older. As I said, this is all based on extrapolated data, but it is my best educated guess on this very interesting topic.

Kelly

I look forward to pics of your present beauties on this Forum in 2040!

Thanks for some great info.
If the females can reach 35 to 40 years of age, then do you think the males can reach about the same age or what?

Thanks Jonas

That's a good question and I would say that in captivity, males could approach the ages of the older females. However, there are many variables when looking at the ages of snakes of either sex in captivity. Genetics, the actual captive environment, and how much an individual snake is stressed by captivity, to name a few. In their natural habitat, they are exposed to other variables that can impact the attainment of an older age. As in availability of food at each life stage, predator avoidance, parasites, prey restraint injuries, accidents, etc. These older and larger 30 plus year old greens are probably fairly rare, and are obviously better at what they do than the average green to attain these large sizes and ages. I would guess that in the wild, older male greens are more rare than older females. I say that because males never reach the much larger size of the females, and so would be more susceptible to predation over their lifetime than the larger females. Once a female breaks into the 15 - 20 feet range and beyond, predation is obviously not near the issue for these individuals as it was when they were smaller.

Kelly

I have one of your CB Males from 2003 (11/18/03) and he has been doing great until recently. I got him a nice large
Visions cage since he outgrew the 20 gal tank. I have it set up very well with a 80-90 degree gradient, 60-80% humidity, big apple thermostat, clean water (I know Judd is a stickler for that!), hide box, cococut fibre substrate that I have used on all my yellows for years and with him too. He stopped eating about 8 weeks ago once in the cage and has refused since. I fed him F/T for the last 2 1/2 years with no issues. Now he is a new cage and very stressed.
He does not strike and is a very mellow pet.
Any tricks? I do not want to force feed. I feel the same way about it as you.
Thanks!
Tom

One of the main reasons for him to go off feed would be what you said about the new environment. With the new cage setup, it could possibly be a few months before he feels comfortable. This is not always the case for many greens, but could be with this individual male. Another possibility is that this would be about the age for a male green to become sexually mature. I have a male that goes off feed for a few months every late winter and early spring. He started this at the age of 2.5 years, which would be the same age as yours is presently. Look closely for small, rubber-like, tan colored deposits on the cage floor. These are usually elongated and would be almost an inch long with a male green of this size. These are called semen or sperm plugs by many people, and are indicative of a male that is producing sperm. If this is the case, it would explain why he is not feeding. In either case, you will probably need to wait a few more weeks before he begins feeding again. Out of interest, what is this males current length?

Kelly

Thank you for writing back so soon. I think you are right about the plugs. I believe I found some and will look for more. He is about to shed as I discovered today. His length is a bit over four feet. I have not power fed him and fed him once every 10-14 days with a moderate F/T meal that is appropriate for his size. Currently he is (or was) feeding on weaned F/T rats about the size of a jumbo mouse and always ate very well. He is very healthy, alert and sweet. I will let you know when I have success.
Thanks Again Kelly!!
Tom Dobrov