The Myth of the Serpent: From the Great Snake to the Henhouse

Beatriz Nunes Cosendey^1,2*Juarez Carlos Brito Pezzuti²

• ¹Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá, Tefé, Brazil
• ²Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

The relationship between humans and snakes is permeated by myths and legends, which have led these animals to be seen as malevolent beings since biblical times. As a result, their interaction tend to be negative, mainly in Occidental Cultures, often leading to the frequent killing of sankes in cases of perceived self-defense. Among them, anacondas stand out as the largest snake species in Brazil, widely known through legends such as the "Boiuna" and the "Cobra Grande". Since this is a semi-aquatic species, some traditional populations, like the varzeiros (riverine people who live in periodically flooded areas known as várzea), have a historical generational coexistence with these animals. Here, we focus on the várzea regions of the Lower Amazon River, where, despite the lack of official studies on snake hunting, it is a known region of conflict. By analyzing different narratives from the local populations, we dug some key points behind the conflicts between humans and the local anaconda population, aiming to understand the main causes of killings and explore potential arguments to prevent them.Our findings reveal that local dwellers possess notable ecological and biological knowledge about the anaconda, particularly its feeding and reproductive behaviors.However, their perception of these snakes remains predominantly negative. We identified a cultural aspect in the act of killing anacondas, as men often expressed a perceived necessity to do so. Most notably, we observed that the primary trigger for these killings was angerdue to economic losses -while fear acted as a deterrent to the slaughter. Based on this, our results suggest the development of a collaborative management plan and conservation strategies for anacondas, with emphasis on protecting the local economy.Improving henhouse structures and a management plan for the use or trade of anaconda fat appear to be promising initial steps.