Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A while back, someone asked about the unusual shape of the pupil in the eye of green anacondas. I was able to take this shot the other day of one of my larger females, and it shows the pupil shape fairly well.

Kelly

Very interesting Kelly! I always noticed something bizarre about their eyes but never thought much about it... Kind of reminds me of a few fish species that live at the surface...

How are things on your end?

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~Brian Ott

www.squamations.com

Hey Brian,
I agree, the pupil is very unusual and is not representative of a truly nocturnal reptile. Field studies have shown that greens are not actually nocturnal, but more accurately described as crepuscular, as they are most active at dawn and dusk. I have noticed this with my greens, as I rarely see them moving around very late at night like most of the other boids. It is possible that this has something to do with the pupil shape. It could also have something to do with their frequent water surface activity, or it could be an artifact of a previous adaption.

We are looking at breeding a relatively unrelated virgin female green this spring. She will be the third different female we have attempted to bred, and hopefully she will take as well as the other two. How is your outstanding group of retics doing?

Kelly

Kelly,

Just a thought from a relative 'noob' to 'condas. Since they spend a lot of time in or around water while hiding/hunting, perhaps that 'double' iris allows for the eye to split the surface of the water. That way the snake can see clearly both above and below the surface. Just a thought.

I definitely agree. That is kind of what I was getting at with my comment about the shapes possible relationship to their frequent water surface activities. Thanks,

Kelly

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Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research
R&R Herpetological