Rare baby anacondas latest addition to Reptile Park

The Australian Reptile Park is thrilled to announce the birth of 16 baby green anacondas to add to their extensive and impressive exotic reptiles collection.

In a rare event, their female anaconda, fittingly named Nicki Minaj, gave birth to these stunning little snakelets this month after the team successfully paired their beautiful male anacondas with Nicki Minaj last year.

Unlike most snakes that lay eggs, anacondas are part of the select 30 per cent of snakes that are viviparous.

This means that female anacondas give birth to live young that are fully developed and independent from birth.

Australian Reptile Park Operations manager Billy Collett, who kept a watchful eye on Nicki Minaj throughout the birth, said the little snakelets were already measuring in at 75cm long at birth.

“They’ve already grown so fast in the past month,” he said.

“In a few years time, they’ll end up being as big as their mum.”

The Park’s stunning female green anaconda Nicki Minaj is one of the biggest snakes in their collection, measuring in at over 50kg in weight and 3.5m in length.

Anacondas are one of the largest snake species in the world, reaching up to seven metres in length in the wild and easily reaching a weight of more than 200kg once fully grown.

During the recent April school holidays, the Australian Reptile Park celebrated their Deadly Creatures that call the Park home, and as part of the event they showcased their stunning new members of the anaconda family.

“Our team are absolutely captivated by these little guys, and we know our visitors will be too,” Collett said.

“Now’s your chance to meet some of these incredible creatures up close in our Lost World of Reptiles exhibit.”

Until Sunday, April 28 visitors could see more of the Park’s deadliest creatures such as Elvis Australia’s Crankiest Croc, the all-new 1.30pm Fang Frenzy Show featuring venomous snakes, spiders, lizards and more, or explore the Park’s Wildlife Discovery Zones to get an intimate look at baby reptiles, fangs and skulls.

The green anaconda is a non-venomous species and is part of the constrictor family.

Anacondas are carnivorous apex predators and can secure a large animal by coiling around the prey and constricting it.

Northern Green Anacondas like Nicki Minaj can be found in lowland basins and swamps within Northern South America, from Eastern Ecuador, through to Colombia.