retic vrs anaconda the great debate

bitzy1

Arachnosquire
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Mar 23, 2010
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58
ok, so i know that this debate has been going on forever, i have seen so many people argue over and over about this. but the question is, really who is the king of all snakes??
the reticulated python: this is said to be the worlds LONGEST snake. this snake has been recorded up to twenty five feet but that is not definite beacause people lik to some up stories. this snake hunts from the trees and stricts at its prey when they least expsect it, they can descend from the ground very quickly and the also take down prey in the tree tops as well as the forest floor. the retic has infrared heat sensors on there face and has cat like eyes able to see through the night they are very good swimmers just like the anaconda. there pattern blends in very very well with its surroundings.
the green anaconda:
this snake prefers swampy arryas and blends in very well this snake is not as long as the ritc but is much larger heavier AND MUSCULAR. unlike the retic this snake takes it prey from below and they are not as good as climbers.this snake does better in water and swamppy mush. traveling under the surface of the plants that grow above. they have a extreme ammount of muscle. i do not have as much info on the anaconda.

so you tell me who is the king. i say tie.

please do not leave rude comments or try to outsmart me by correcting me im only thirteen, thnx bityz1:?
 

Dyn

Arachnobaron
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Longest retic is 33ft.

I like retics a hell of alot more than anacondas. All anacondas have going for them is weight.

Retics all the way.
 

Warren Bautista

Arachnoprince
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Retics.

Make much nicer pets, not that I would know or anything....lol


And you might want to change the signature.....
 

Dyn

Arachnobaron
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I have two retics.

High silver normal male and a purple albino male both are awesome.
 

Toirtis

Arachnobaron
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May 14, 2010
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316
Retics have managed almost 33', and I would imagine that 36' is possible.

Green anacondas are much shorter, but insanely bulky.

In this respect, they come out fairly even.

You could also put Burms into the mix, as they can be both long (up to 23'), and bulky (as much as 300 lbs), giving them the best of both worlds. Some captive Afrocks have been around this size, too.

Of course, there is always (assuming you are fond of cryptozoology, as myself), the possibility of a yet undiscovered giant Congo species...something I would like to see....a species that might be slightly larger than the Afrock...perhaps 30' and 350 lbs.
 

Jmugleston

Arachnoprince
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King? I'm not sure what you mean by that. Largest or longest? By records or average adult weight? Do you include the insular retics that could dramatically bring down the average? Is it based on temperament? Fecundity? Geographic range? Diversity? In either case no confirmed specimen over 30 feet has ever been taken from the wild (there is still a bounty if you feel so inclined). In captivity there are exceptions, but retics are much more popular than annies so the sampling is a bit skewed.

If "king" were in reference to the most successful, I don't think any of the five giants (scrubs, rocks, burms, annies, or tics) would take it. In my opinion it belongs to a snake that is much smaller and thereby much less noticeable. The Brahminy blind snake is found nearly worldwide in tropical areas including Asia, Africa, Australia, and Americas. Their mode of reproduction is parthenogenesis. They're small and commonly mistaken for earthworms so transportation via the horticulture trade is thought to be the means by which they've attained such a range. I'd argue that any fossorial, asexual snake that has a worldwide distribution would win.
 

pitbulllady

Arachnoking
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King? I'm not sure what you mean by that. Largest or longest? By records or average adult weight? Do you include the insular retics that could dramatically bring down the average? Is it based on temperament? Fecundity? Geographic range? Diversity? In either case no confirmed specimen over 30 feet has ever been taken from the wild (there is still a bounty if you feel so inclined). In captivity there are exceptions, but retics are much more popular than annies so the sampling is a bit skewed.

If "king" were in reference to the most successful, I don't think any of the five giants (scrubs, rocks, burms, annies, or tics) would take it. In my opinion it belongs to a snake that is much smaller and thereby much less noticeable. The Brahminy blind snake is found nearly worldwide in tropical areas including Asia, Africa, Australia, and Americas. Their mode of reproduction is parthenogenesis. They're small and commonly mistaken for earthworms so transportation via the horticulture trade is thought to be the means by which they've attained such a range. I'd argue that any fossorial, asexual snake that has a worldwide distribution would win.
Good point, J! The really big snakes are also some of the most "sensitive" when it comes to environment, and have a much more limited range due to their inability to cope with swings in temperature, etc.

Now, I've owned both Retics and Anacondas, and there's no debate as far as the sizes go between the mainland subspecies of Retic(keep in mind that there are true "super dwarf" island races of Retics that get no longer than a Black Rat Snake) and the Green Anaconda(again, there are different species of Anacondas, not all of them huge, as a Yellow stays the size of a big Colombian Boa Constrictor), BUT one thing I take into account is intelligence and adaptability. Retics are far, far more alert and demonstrate a fair amount of intelligence, for a snake, whereas Anacondas are on evolutionary step above a dead tree stump. Retics are much more active, climbing and exploring, while Anacondas are giant speed bumps when not eating and do not move around much at all, especially on land, due to their bulk. Anacondas also require much more specific environmental conditions for survival, while Retics can and do adapt far better and are even found in large cities in Singapore and the Philippines, where they reside in the cities' storm drainage systems. Pick up a tame Retic, and it will support itself and pay very close attention to everything around it, with that raptor-like gaze, while a tame Anaconda will be like dead weight, and just sorta hang there, oblivious to everything...and will usually take advantage of this form of stimulation to relieve itself, copiously, all over you(Been There, Done That, with EVERY Anaconda I've ever handled...no wonder they're called "WATER Boas").

pitbulllady
 

Jmugleston

Arachnoprince
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how about the 49 foot retic they found in indonesia?google it.
Should I google that or the following articles where it turned out to be just over 20 feet? The keepers reported that they don't know why it shrunk when the official measurement was taken. :) It was a scam. Try again.

If I remember right, the bounty for snake over 30 feet started in the late 1800s/early 1900s. It was 1K. Then it was bumped to 5K. It is now up to 50K and still nobody has collected it.
 

Jaymz Bedell

Arachnoknight
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I really like the dead tree stump analogy for condas. it's fairly accurate in my experience. after working with several over the years, including a breeding project for a small zoo, I've come to the conclusion that a snake that just sits around isn't something im into. I've had the distinct pleasure of working with several retics, and even with large angry retics it is a pleasure! the intelligence of retics is rivaled only by the various species of scrub pythons, and possibly king cobras. scrub pythons are my favorite animals to work with hands down. If we factor intelligence into this VS. thread the retic becomes a clear winner, since scrub pythons weren't a part of the ops thoughts. as to the welcome shower the acompanies handling anacondas...I've narrowly missed it myself several times, though I have had the poop + tail helicopter combo pulled on me many many times over the years.
 

Jaymz Bedell

Arachnoknight
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how about the 49 foot retic they found in indonesia?google it.
I remember reading several articles about the amazing 50 foot retic. most of them remarking about the animals ability to shrink and expand at will. going so far as to claim that when the snake was measured it was in its small size. but since it was consistently measured at just over 20 feet by several scientists that's where i tend to place my faith. it's still a very large snake. but 50 feet shes not.
 

super-pede

Arachnobaron
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I remember reading several articles about the amazing 50 foot retic. most of them remarking about the animals ability to shrink and expand at will. going so far as to claim that when the snake was measured it was in its small size. but since it was consistently measured at just over 20 feet by several scientists that's where i tend to place my faith. it's still a very large snake. but 50 feet shes not.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3845750/
 

Jaymz Bedell

Arachnoknight
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http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/bigsnake.asp

http://www.phoenixzoo.org/learn/animals/ask_the_pet_doctor_detail.aspx?ARTICLE_ID=100143

the amazing shrinking python! but seriously, there has been a huge bounty for any snake reliably measuring 30 feet or greater for a very long time now. snakes don't shrink with the weather, mood, or shed cycle. they don't shrink or expand by 28 feet. this snake has been investigated, and measured, more than once. those were 2 of about 20,000 articles on the retic. even wikipedia lists the 49 foot retic, it also lists the debunking.
 

super-pede

Arachnobaron
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http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/bigsnake.asp

http://www.phoenixzoo.org/learn/animals/ask_the_pet_doctor_detail.aspx?ARTICLE_ID=100143

the amazing shrinking python! but seriously, there has been a huge bounty for any snake reliably measuring 30 feet or greater for a very long time now. snakes don't shrink with the weather, mood, or shed cycle. they don't shrink or expand by 28 feet. this snake has been investigated, and measured, more than once. those were 2 of about 20,000 articles on the retic. even wikipedia lists the 49 foot retic, it also lists the debunking.
good job.you made me feel like a moron for believing it.
 

Jmugleston

Arachnoprince
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good job.you made me feel like a moron for believing it.
Just be skeptical when you here unusual statements that seem a bit too outside the norm. Every month my friends will send me pictures or stories circulating on the internet about giant, or man-eating snakes. Typically they are the same pictures that have been floating around for well over a decade. Some have a minute amount of truth to them, but most are a complete joke. Some even go so far as to crawl inside a gutted snake in order to make it look like a human was found in the snake.
 

Terry D

Arachnodemon
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Nov 21, 2009
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If "king" were in reference to the most successful, I don't think any of the five giants (scrubs, rocks, burms, annies, or tics) would take it. In my opinion it belongs to a snake that is much smaller and thereby much less noticeable. The Brahminy blind snake is found nearly worldwide in tropical areas including Asia, Africa, Australia, and Americas. Their mode of reproduction is parthenogenesis. They're small and commonly mistaken for earthworms so transportation via the horticulture trade is thought to be the means by which they've attained such a range. I'd argue that any fossorial, asexual snake that has a worldwide distribution would win.
Joey, I'll second that. I spent a few weeks tromping around Miami in search of Tantilla oolitica back in the mid eighties. I guess it goes without saying that I did not succeed with that. While near Coconut Grove I noticed that many vacant lots were strewed with trash so I began flipping. It seemed there was a brahminy blind snake under every single piece of trash. One area really stood out as it appeared that someone had spread a dumptruck full of Wrigley gum wrappers across the lot. Most of the little gum wrappers also had snakes under them. Tiny yes, but successful for sure!

Terry
 

Jaymz Bedell

Arachnoknight
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good job.you made me feel like a moron for believing it.
not my intention. but as has been said...if something seems so far out of the realm of normal take it with a healthy bit of skepticism and then research. I will say a lot of the pictures floating around of fragrant flower make the snake look quite a bit larger, but they're all tricks of photography. You'd be hard pressed to find someone that would be more excited than me if a 50 foot snake was captured and reliably measured. but when it comes to giants among their species look at it the same way you would a claim of a modern tarantula with a 20 inch leg span or a centipede with a 20 inch body length.
 

Big Red TJ

Arachnobaron
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Dec 10, 2007
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Not that I would ever fully trust a retic I still like them alot better then anacondas. Intelligent and easy to hook train when they get big.:D Every anaconda I have ever handled or owned has bitten the living daylights out of me.
 

Toirtis

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
316
Not that I would ever fully trust a retic I still like them alot better then anacondas. Intelligent and easy to hook train when they get big.:D Every anaconda I have ever handled or owned has bitten the living daylights out of me.
Try an Afrock some time...they have a personality like satan.
 
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