Anaconda
Reptiles
Some Threatened
facts
Anacondas hunt wild pigs, deer, birds, turtles, capybaras, caimans, and jaguars.
Most anacondas live in marshes and swamps.
description
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.
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.
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.
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.
