Giant Pet Anaconda

Question
QUESTION: I'm wondering, as I'm thinking about getting a large snake for a pet. Is it really possible for them to eat people? For the sake of argument, let's say it got past my shoulders. Could it really swallow all the way down to say, my shins or so?

ANSWER: Hi Matt,
  Without question, the answer is yes. National Geographic  definitively answered this question and took a whole show to do it. If a huge Anaconda were to kill you, you were slight of build, and it tried to swallow you with you laying on your side, it is possible. Anecdotal evidence even points to large Anacondas stalking women while bypassing their larger male companions. I usually try to discourage folks from keeping anything over 12', especially if you have kids, wife, etc. It takes a special person who is willing to sleep with a loaded gun next to their bed (meaning it is like Russian roulette; make no mistake, an Anaconda will kill you if it gets the chance). Get a Cobra, simply because they make anti venom (they do not make anti-squeeze).

Regards,

Kevin L. Ogle

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Cool. Thanks! I presume it could get further than the shins though right? I figure feet would pose a challenge to it. Or...Would the last thing the world sees of me be my toes slipping through it's mouth?

Answer
That is correct. The feet would cause no problems. The shoulders (of a good sized person) would pose the biggest problem. They would have to be turned vertically, as if you were laying on your side. Snakes have great range with their jaws up and down, but not side to side. The last thing the world would see of you would be a rather large cylindrical shaped tube of uriatic  acid and feces. Let's try not to let that happen.