

In this article, I'll try to set the record straight about the world's largest snake, the green anaconda. So there's a good chance you've encountered quite a few myths and misconceptions over the years. Unless you study reptiles, most of what you know about the green anaconda probably comes from popular culture (movies, stories, legends, etc.). While the reticulated python can grow slightly longer than this, the green anaconda is clearly the world's largest snake in terms of mass. An adult green anaconda can reach lengths of 25 feet (7.6 meters) and can weigh more than 200 pounds (91 kg). This massive snake can be found throughout the northern part of South America. The world's largest snake is the green anaconda ( Eunectes murinus). Their lifespan in the wild is about ten years.Squamata > Boidae > Green Anaconda Green Anaconda - World's Largest Snake Baby snakes are about 2 feet long when they are born and are almost immediately able to swim and hunt. Reproductionįemale anacondas retain their eggs and give birth to two to three dozen live young. Jaws attached by stretchy ligaments allow them to swallow their prey whole, no matter the size, and they can go weeks or months without food after a big meal. Anacondas are nonvenomous constrictors, coiling their muscular bodies around captured prey and squeezing until the animal asphyxiates. They reach their monumental size on a diet of wild pigs, deer, birds, turtles, capybara, caimans, and even jaguars.

Their eyes and nasal openings are on top of their heads, allowing them to lay in wait for prey while remaining nearly completely submerged. They are cumbersome on land, but stealthy and sleek in the water. On Land and in WaterĪnacondas live in swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Other anaconda species, all from South America and all smaller than the green anaconda, are the yellow, dark-spotted, and Bolivian varieties. Females are significantly larger than males. Green anacondas can grow to more than 29 feet, weigh more than 550 pounds, and measure more than 12 inches in diameter. Learn how they maintain their massive size. The semiaquatic snakes weigh as much as 550 pounds, and can be as long as a school bus.
