Anaconda curled up

Anaconda

Super squeezers
Type
lizard

Reptiles

Area
South America
South America
Endangered Status

Some Threatened

facts

size
up to 30 feet
in length
The average bed is 6.25 feet long.
Anaconda coiled up next to a be
food
meat
carnivore
meat

Anacondas hunt wild pigs, deer, birds, turtles, capybaras, caimans, and jaguars.

habitat
near water
Water habitat

Most anacondas live in marshes and swamps.

description

Green anaconda slithering along a dirt ground facing the camera head on

Heavy-duty

There are a few kinds of anacondas, but the green anaconda is the big one. Weighing up to 550 pounds, it holds the record for heaviest snake in the world. If you measured around the middle of an anaconda's body, it could be up to 12 inches around—measure your thigh to compare.

Close up of an anaconda's head sticking out of the water as it swims

Water world

Anacondas like to be in or near water, and they are excellent swimmers. Their eyes and nostrils are on top of their heads, so they can keep their body hidden underwater as they wait for prey.

Young anaconda coiled up on a dirt ground

The big squeeze

An anaconda kills its prey by coiling its muscular body around the creature and squeezing until the animal can no longer breathe. Jaws attached by stretchy ligaments allow the snake to swallow its prey whole, no matter the size. Anacondas can go weeks or months without eating after a big meal.

Anaconda moving through tall grass

Hunted

People are the anaconda’s most dangerous predator. In many parts of South America, anacondas are hunted, both legally and illegally, for their skin and for sale in the illegal pet trade. Often, these snakes are killed just because people fear and dislike them.

Quiz

The green anaconda is the _______ of all snakes.
longest
heaviest