There are four female anaconda in our Freshwater Gallery: Kathleen, Marion, Wilson, and Anna. Just like all the animals at the Aquarium, these reptiles get excellent medical care from our veterinary staff, which includes annual checkups. Yesterday was the day for their routine vet checks. The snakes were pulled from the exhibit and, one by one, examined in our animal health center. All the usual vitals were checked and tests performed: oral and body exams, blood draws, ultrasounds, and X-rays. While the snakes are not aggressive, they are still very strong and were sedated during the examinations.

After all the checkups were completed, the vet staff report that all the snakes got a clean bill of health! The snakes recovered from their sedation well and are returning to the exhibit today. Some interesting stats:

• Anna is the smallest of the snakes. She’s approximately 5 years old, weighs 41.6 pounds, and is 8.9 feet long.
• Kathleen, on the other hand, is our largest snake. She is about 14 years old, weighs 82 pounds, and measures 14.5 feet long.

Check out the pictures below to get a sense of the immense team effort from all our staff needed to get these animals the wellness checks they need.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Several media outlets also were also on hand to observe the anacondas’ checkups. You’ll find more pictures, videos, and coverage in the links below.