came across this and wanted to start a thread that can be added with additional entries but i found this interesting - apparently, within green anacondas at least, they *can* reach a point at which they are simply “too big to breed” and this “maximal viability limit” is 6.7m/22ft
which i find interesting in and of itself but also with respect to the large/giant constrictor community where from what i’ve seen there has been a tradition of trying to maximize size to maximize clutch output to maximize profits (and in the current era, drive up social media video views on YouTube, FB, Insta, etc) - the pendulum seems to be swing in the opposite direction where the ideal is “lean mean biting machines” which i love
but at any rate, does anyone know if this is the case for other giant species? i’ll post more if i find this but thought to ask also
reference:
-Rivas, Jesús Antonio (2000). “The life history of the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), with emphasis on its reproductive Biology” - University of Tennessee