This Video Shows Why You Should Never Poke an Anaconda with a Stick

Daniel10ortegaven, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Anacondas are four species of giant snakes native to South America, but the snake most commonly referred to as an “anaconda” is the green anaconda, which at 17.1 feet (5.21 meters) and 215 pounds (97.5 kilograms) is the largest and heaviest snake species and among the longest of all snakes.

So, with that in mind, if YOU saw an anaconda lounging in its natural environment, would YOU poke it with a stick? Well, one guy did, and somehow, he survived.

Dave Lonsdale, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Many people are afraid of snakes, regardless of the size or danger of the snake, but even if you aren’t afraid of them, anacondas are not on the same level as your average rat snake; these snakes can kill you. If they don’t crush your body with their thick coils, they’ll drown you beneath the murky depths of their watery lairs. That’s why poking one with a stick is not a good idea.


Watch the video below to see just how quickly an anaconda can react to a threat (or a meal). If the guy with the stick was any closer to the water’s edge, he’d have been dragged to a watery grave.

The moral of the story? Don’t poke wild animals with sticks unless you want to potentially get seriously injured or killed!

Click here to check out an amazing video of a diver getting terrifyingly up close with an anaconda.

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