tail are exceptionally long in relation to body. Tail is prehensile. Head is small while the muzzle is
prominent.
Diet: Fruits, young leaves, and flowers. May eat some nuts, seeds, insects, arachnids, and eggs.
Interesting Facts:
Spider monkeys have a prehensile tail that they use like a fifth limb. The tail can grab onto branches
for extra stability while moving through trees, or it can allow them to hang from branches while
foraging. Spider monkeys do not have thumbs; this aids them in swinging from tree to tree.
At Aquatic & Reptile Center -- Anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
Geographic Location: Tropical South America
Habitat: Streams, rivers, swamps, and pools of the tropical rain forests of Amazonia.
Natural History:
The green anaconda can grow up to 36 feet long and can weigh up to 550 pounds. The nostrils are like
that of a crocodile. They are located on the top of the snout so the snake can breathe easily while it is
swimming. The black patches on its back combine with dull background color to blend in with the
thick, wet vegetation of its habitat. Unlike most snakes, anacondas give birth to live young.
Diet:
The anaconda preys on caiman, deer, wild pigs, and large rodents such as the agouti, paca, and
capybara. It also attacks aquatic animals like the caiman, a small relative of the alligator. It lies in a
murky pool to ambush prey coming to the water to drink. It seizes its prey quickly with its sharp teeth
and drags it into the water. The snake squeezes tighter each time the animal breathes out so it cannot
breath again. The prey dies quickly from suffocation and is swallowed whole. The snake can stretch
its mouth around prey twice the width of its head because its jawbones are loosely attached to its skull
and to each other. After a large meal, the anaconda sleeps for several days as it digests and may not
feed again for weeks.
Interesting Facts:
This heavy snake is more at home in the water than on land, and it swims with grace and agility. It can
stay submerged for 10 minutes at a time and often lies beneath the surface waiting for prey. When
kept out of the water, an anaconda's body becomes infested with ticks. The heaviest of snakes, a 20-
foot anaconda weighs more than a 33-foot python.
At Small Mammal Building -- North American River Otter (Lutra canadensis)
Geographic Location: All of the U.S. and Canada except the tundra and parts of the arid southwestern
United States.
Habitat: Streams, rivers, lakes, estuaries, and salt- and freshwater marshes.
Natural History: Long, slender, sleek body, weighing approximately 20 pounds and about 2 ½ feet
from head to tail. The head is small and round, with small eyes and ears, but with prominent whiskers.
Legs are short, but powerful; all four feet are webbed. The tail is long and slightly tapered toward the
tip with musk-producing glands underneath. The short, dense fur is dark brown and waterproof. Chin
and stomach are reddish-yellow and tinged with gray. Females are a third smaller than males.
Diet: Fish, crayfish, frogs, turtles, aquatic invertebrates, plus an occasional bird, rodent or rabbit.
Interesting Facts:
The river otter is almost impervious to cold because of an outer coat of coarse guard hairs, plus a
dense, thick undercoat that helps to "water-proof" the animal. They have no blubber - the fur keeps
them warm. Scent glands under the tail are used for identification, defense, marking territory, and trail
marking. Small ears and nostrils can be closed tightly when in water; they are excellent swimmers and
divers. During a dive, their pulse slows to a tenth of the normal rate of 170 beats a minute, thereby
conserving oxygen.
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