And now it's time for who's smarted.
Psst, hey, Smarty Pants, trusty narrator here.
See if you can guess where I am.
If you said, in a rain forest, you're right.
But this isn't just any old run of the mill rain forest.
No, it's the most famous rain forest of them all.
Do you know what that is?
Go ahead, call it out.
Are you yelling out, the Amazon?
If so, you're right again.
And if your adults think you're trying to get them to order you something off of Amazon, tell them not to worry.
We're talking about the world's oldest and wettest ecosystem, not packages.
Anywho, at the moment, I'm waiting for my friend Desi.
He's a park ranger here, and in his spare time, he's taking college classes to become an ophiologist.
Oh, have you not heard that word before, Smarties?
Well, in that case, let's figure it out.
Ophies is the ancient Greek word for...
...snake. So, ophiology is a branch of zoology that studies...
...snakes. And while I'm not exactly the hugest fan of snakes, I think I prefer them to all the Hopefully, Desi shows up soon with an extra large can of insect repellent.
Shoo! Shoo! Huh! Those mosquitoes aren't the only ones hungry this time of day.
Huh? Who said that?
And more importantly, where are you?
I'm right above you, tasty narrator.
Whoa! It's a very, very, very large snake!
Also, it's trusty narrator, not tasty narrator.
Also, did I mention, you are enormous?
That's only half of me, buddy.
The back half is wrapped around this branch.
Oh boy. Backing away slowly.
You're not scared of me?
Are you? Me? Scared?
Why would I be scared of a giant snake that said it wants to eat me?
I was just kidding about that.
Well, technically I'm big enough to eat you.
It's actually pretty rare for giant snakes to eat humans.
Great! Um, so what's your name, he asked, hoping to keep the snake's mouth talking instead of swallowing?
Anna. Anaconda. Oh, so you're an anaconda?
Yep. If you want to be technical, I'm a green anaconda or eunectis murinus, which means good swimmer.
Cool. Well, I guess I'll just be going.
Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you.
Besides, if you're a friend of Desi's, you're a friend of mine.
Oh, you know Desi? Oh, I see you two have met.
Desi, am I glad to see you.
Don't worry about it, Anna.
Oh, I met the bug spray.
Let me have it. Ah, that's better.
Anyway, what did you want to show me here in the rainforest?
I thought you and the smarty pants would like to learn more about large snakes.
That's why I invited Anna to join us.
Oh, is that why she dropped in?
Yep. Well, in that case, I'd love to know how large large snakes can get.
Where can you find the largest snakes in the world?
How do large snakes eat food that's bigger than they are?
And is it true that anacondas were once revered and considered to possess magical powers?
Sounds good to me. Great.
Then it's time for another whiff of science and history on...
Who Smarted? Who Smarted?
Who Smarted? Who Smarted?
Is it you? Is it me?
Is it science or history?
Listen up. Everyone, we make smarting lots of fun.
Who Smarted? Who Smarted?
Here, let's take this path to the right.
It'll bring us to an area where we might actually see some...
Um, Des? You sure you want to do that?
Remember what happened last spring.
Ah, maybe you're right, Anna.
Wait. What? What happened last spring?
Was it something scary?
Let's just say the door group I was leading saw some things they'll probably never forget.
Oh, boy, I get the picture.
No need to elaborate.
Anna, you said snakes don't typically eat humans.
But what exactly do you and other large snakes like to eat?
And how do you go about catching your prey?
Great questions, trusty.
Let's answer the second question first.
How do large snakes like pythons, boas, and anacondas capture their prey?
Smarty pants, true or false?
Large snakes like the ones Anna just mentioned use venom to immobilize their prey.
The answer is false.
Nope. We large snakes are non -venomous and don't rely on a venomous or poisonous bite to immobilize our prey.
That stuff is for the, ahem, smaller snakes.
We big snakes are what's known as constrictors.
Do your smarty friends know what a constrictor is?
Let's see. Smarty pants, what do you think it means for a snake to be a constrictor?
Is it A, they ask their prey to play dead?
B, they build a trap and hope their prey falls into it.
Or C, they wrap themselves around their prey and squeeze it.
If you said C, squeeze, you're right.
Great job if you got that, smarty pants.
But Anna, once you've squeezed your prey, how do you go about eating it?
It's not like you have large, sharp teeth like many carnivores.
Oh, and in case you didn't know, a carnivore is an animal that only eats meat.
I love meat and only meat.
That includes mammals such as deer, jaguars, and wild pigs.
Of course, I wouldn't pass up a tasty reptile like a turtle or caiman, which is a type of croc indigenous to this area.
We also eat large birds and fish.
That's quite a menu.
The rainforest is quite a restaurant.
But wait, as big as you are Anna, some of those things you mentioned are as big, if not bigger, than you.
How can you eat a deer or a caiman?
I could tell you. Or I can show you.
Check this out. Oh wow, doesn't that hurt?
Um sorry, I didn't quite get that.
Hang on, why don't you close your mouth?
Much better. What I said was our jaws are held together with stretchy ligaments.
Kinda like they're made of rubber.
So they can open wide enough to swallow the prey whole, and not have to chew it first.
Oh, in other words you can pretty much detach your jaw.
That's some party trick.
Of course, before you can swallow these creatures, you have to catch them first.
How are you able to do that?
Down before by her size.
While Anna might be close to 14 feet long and weigh nearly 120 pounds, she can move pretty fast when she's hungry.
Especially in the water.
Fun fact, female anacondas tend to be twice as big as male anacondas.
Another fun fact, the world's longest snakes, the reticulated python, can reach lengths of 30 feet and weigh over 500 pounds.
Wow. But still, while I have no doubt Anna can move fast, deer, jaguar, and wild pigs can run really fast.
And aren't in the water.
How do you catch and eat them?
Ah, perfect timing.
Don't mind me, boys.
I think I'll take a quick dip in the Amazon.
Oh, okay. And then after you'll answer my question?
Actually, I think she's about to give you another demonstration, trusty.
Ah, Smarty Pants, we'll find out how this all turns out right after this quick message.
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Now back to who smarted.
Okay, smarty pants, Anna the Anaconda has slipped into the Amazon River to demonstrate how she is able to catch much bigger and faster creatures.
See how she blends in with all the other vegetation and growth in the swamp?
Smarty pants, what's it called when a creature can blend in with other things around it in order to avoid being eaten or the opposite, to pounce on its prey?
Did you say camouflage?
Nice. Notice even though Anacondas are amongst the largest snakes on the planet, you can barely make out the contour of her body.
It's entirely underwater.
I did notice that. But also, how can she see?
And how can she breathe?
Easy. Horizon nasal openings are located at the top of her head.
This makes her nearly invisible to her prey.
I see. Or rather, I don't see.
Wow, this part of the river sure is a popular watering hole for lots of different animals.
I see some wild pigs rolling around in the mud.
Oh, and right next to them are some adorable deer taking a drink.
Oh boy, you don't think Anna's going to...
I don't know, trusty.
She likes to have fun when there's an audience.
I don't know if I can watch.
Smarty Pants, it's a good thing this is a podcast.
Look, I see the water rippling right in front of the wild pigs.
Did you see how high those pigs jumped out of the mud?
Sorry, guys. I couldn't help pulling a little scare prank.
It's okay, Anna. Better that than enjoying a pulled pork lunch.
Is it over? Yeah, trusty.
I was only playing around.
I ate before you came.
But if Anna did want to eat those pigs, she would snatch him up in her powerful jaw.
And then she would use her body to constrict around them and squeeze until...
Oh, gotcha. And then she does the whole, you know, detached jaw thing and swallows it whole.
Fun times! Hey, I'm just doing what I was put on Earth to do.
Speaking of, you might not know this, trusty.
But some of Anna's earlier ancestors once featured rather prominently in South American mythology.
Oh, yeah? What do you think that means, Smarty Pants?
Yeah, I'm not sure either.
Go on. Okay. But just so you all know, we snakes don't talk about this stuff too much.
Some of it's kind of crazy.
Not to mention this was a long, long time ago and things have changed a bit since then.
Wow. That's quite a disclaimer.
These must be some pretty wild stories.
Depending on the indigenous tribe, these myths are pretty potent.
Potent? Do tell. Do tell.
For some, such as the Shepibo tribe, the Anaconda is associated with the likes of a shaman woman beholding magical powers such as healing.
Ooh. No kidding. In fact, many saw the Anaconda as an ancestral creator and that an Anaconda actually designed the Amazon River itself in the image of a massive snake meandering through the region.
Wow. That is pretty potent.
Indeed. Trust me, if an Anaconda actually created the rainforest and designed the Amazon River, we would have made us a lot faster and all those pigs, deer and caimans a lot slower.
Right. You know, talking about that is making me hungry again.
I could probably use a snack.
Come on, Desi. Tour's over.
Gotta go. Wow. For a big guy, he runs pretty fast.
A giant double shout -out to Jackson and Amelia in Louisville, Kentucky.
Thanks so much for sharing how much you love listening to Who Smarted any time you're in the car.
And that you love all the cool facts, interesting subjects, and always learn something new.
Smarty, mission accomplished.
This episode, Large Snakes, was written by Dave Diamondback Davis and voiced by Charlotte Green Anaconda Cone, Chris Copperhead ukawa, and Jari Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Garter Snake Han.
Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max, the constrictor Kamasky.
The theme song is by Brian Boa Suarez.
With lyrics written and performed by Adam Snakes on a plane, Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jari Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment Production.
Who Smarted. Star glow.
