The Green Anaconda is the biggest member of the family Boidae, thus the biggest boa in the world. Just like the other three species of Anaconda, the Green Anaconda is native to the swamps and rivers of the South American jungle where it hunts in the water and suffocate its prey. The scientific name for the Green Aanaconda is Eunectes murinus. The three other anaconda species are Eunectes beniensis (Bolivian Anaconda), Eunectes deschauenseei (Dark-spotted Anaconda) and Eunectes notaeus (Yellow Anaconda).

Geographic range  

The Green Anacondas are normally found in the Amazon and Orinoco basins in northern South America. They live in Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Guyana and on the island of Trinidad.

Description

The Green Anaconda derives its name from its olive green body colouration and is decorated with black blotches that run the length of the entire body. This type of coloration serves to keep it well camouflaged when it hunts in the lush tropical forest of South America. The head is narrow compared to the rest of the body and have orange-yellow striping on both sides. The Green Anaconda likes to stay submerged in the water until an unsuspecting prey ventures too close, and the eyes of this snake are therefore set very high on the head in order to make it possible for the anaconda to see out of the water with the rest of its body is hidden under the surface. 

With an average length of 18 feet (5.5 metres), the Green Anaconda is one of the largest snakes in the world. It is also considered the heaviest member of the super-order Squamata, since most other long snakes are much thinner than the Green Anaconda. The Reticulated Python can for instance grow just as long as a Green Anaconda, but will weight much less. An adult Green Anaconda can weight up to 550 lb (250 kg) and have a girth width of nearly 12 inches (30 cm).

You may have heard of Green Anacondas that were much longer than 18 feet, but those snakes have never been scientifically measured and the figures are therefore unreliable. It is very hard to accurately estimate the length of a snake and reports tend to be exaggerated. One of the biggest Green Anacondas ever caught and properly measured was a 37.5 feet (11.43 m) long female that was shot near the border between Colombia and Venezuela in 1944. It slithered away before it could be weighed. Female Green Anacondas are much larger than their male counterparts.

Green Anaconda behaviour, diet and reproduction

Just like the other anacondas, the Green Anaconda spends most of its life in the water. It hunts by suffocating its prey and will each virtually any animal that ventures too close and is of a suitable size for the anaconda to overpower. They are for instance known to eat fish, reptiles, birds and a variety of mammals. Big anacondas can devour really big prey, such as crocodiles, caimans, jaguars, deers, capybaras, and tapirs.

Green Anacondas are cannibalistic and it is not very uncommon for a big female to eat a smaller male. This might be a way for her to get sufficient amounts of nutrition after mating, in order to sustain the really long gestation period.

The Green Anaconda reaches sexual maturity when it is 2-3 years old. Mating normally takes place in the water during the rainy season and the gestation period lasts for 6 months. A normal litter contains 20-40 young ones, but there are instance where a litter have encompassed up to 100 snakes.

The Green Anaconda as a pet

The Green Anaconda is know for its feisty temperament and should therefore only be kept by snake experts. Also keep in mind that you must be able to house your anaconda as it grows bigger and bigger.

Anaconda Snake articles:

Anaconda Snake Care
Yellow Anaconda Snake