No matter the size, every gift to the Museum is critical to our 300 scientists' work in understanding and protecting the natural world. We are a charity and we rely on your support. Understanding and protecting life on our planet is the greatest scientific challenge of our age. To reverse the damage we've done and protect the future, we need the knowledge that comes from scientific discovery. People tell us they 'still get shivers walking through the front door', and thank us for inspiring the next generation of scientists. We must act on scientific evidence, we must act together, and we must act now.įor many, the Natural History Museum is a place that inspires learning, gives purpose and provides hope.
But if we don't look after nature, nature can't look after us. This is the first time in Earth's history that a single species - humanity - has brought such disaster upon the natural world. Climate change is creating deserts and dead zones, and hunting is driving many species to the brink of extinction. Pollution has caused toxic air in our cities, and farming and logging have wreaked havoc on our forests. Our future depends on nature, but we are not doing enough to protect our life support system. Now we're wondering if you can help us.Įvery year, more people are reading our articles to learn about the challenges facing the natural world. or that it helped you learn something new. Stop by the Aquatic & Reptile Center and check out magnificent Olive – we’re thrilled she’s here!įun fact: Though anacondas are great swimmers, they’ll also hang from branches to dry off. (Green anacondas don’t lay eggs they give birth to live young, about 1 to 2 feet long.) She was named by children at the Henry Vilas Zoo School. Olive was born at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, along with 28 other snakes at the time. After Mo passed, leaving an open, anaconda-appropriate exhibit, MCZ and Henry Vilas began to brainstorm. The Madison zoo also had another green anaconda, and over the years, realized that their habitat wasn’t offering both snakes the space to express their natural behaviors. MCZ was glad to collaborate with Henry Vilas on the transfer of one of their largest reptiles. The animal care team will also need to first assess whether Olive views any potential co-inhabitant as prey. Before a red-tailed boa moves back in, additional climbing structures will need to be added for them. A red-tailed boa (one of three at MCZ) also shared the habitat but was moved off exhibit when Olive arrived. Olive resides in the habitat previously occupied by anaconda Mo, who was humanely euthanized due to longstanding medical issues last February at the age of 25. She also comes out of the water at night – zookeepers can tell because plants have been knocked over when they check on her the following morning.
During the week, when attendance at MCZ is a little quieter, you might find Olive sitting with her head elevated two to three feet out of the water. The animal care team is able to clean the habitat under her watchful eye at a distance, but she becomes a bit “livelier” if she requires a physical move. MCZ follows a large constrictor protocol, and at her current size, three zookeepers must be present when they’re working with Olive or in her habitat. At MCZ, Olive is currently on a bit of a weight-restricted diet, consuming one frozen rabbit a month. They are the heaviest snakes in the world, reaching up to 500 pounds and 30 feet long. Found from the wilds of the Amazon rainforest to the forests of Central America, green anacondas will eat mammals including deer, monkeys, and capybara, as well as birds, fish, and turtles. The anaconda may also simply hold its prey under water until drowning it.
A swift bite holds their prey while several loops coil around the prey’s body, immediately restricting its breathing.
Anacondas are also ambush hunters and true constrictors. They’re excellent swimmers and known to drift in river currents as a convenient way of locomotion. Green anacondas are known as “water boas,” able to stay submerged in water for over ten minutes.
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