The Biggest Snake in the World
Hi there! I’m Artiom. I’m interested in nature and I love animals. Have you heard about green anaconda? I’ve found some absolutely amazing facts about these snakes.
Level A2/B1
The Green Anaconda is the biggest snake in the world. Its scientific name, eunectes murinus, means “good swimmer” in Latin.
The Green Anaconda lives in South America, closer to the equator. You can find them in countries like Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Colombia.
They prefer to live in watery areas because they are excellent swimmers, but they struggle to move on land. They like habitats such as marshes, swamps, and slow-moving waters in the tropical rainforest.
Anacondas are meat-eaters. They eat other animals and can have meals 4 to 5 times a year. It takes them 3 to 4 months to digest their food. They will eat almost anything they can catch, like small mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish. Big anacondas can even eat large animals like deer, wild pigs, jaguars, and capybara.
Anacondas are constrictors. That means they squeeze their prey to death using their strong bodies. After the animal is dead, they swallow it whole. They can do this because their jaws can open really wide. After a big meal, they can go without eating for weeks. Snakes don’t chew their food; instead, they digest it using powerful acids in their stomach.
These snakes are mostly active at night, which means they hunt during the night and sleep during the day. When they hunt, they swim with their eyes and nose just above the water while keeping the rest of their body hidden underwater. This helps them sneak up on their prey.
Anacondas can grow to be about 20 to 30 feet long (6 – 9 meters). They can weigh over 500 pounds (227 kg) and have bodies as thick as a foot. This makes them the largest snake in the world, although not the longest. The longest snake is the Reticulated Python.
The Anaconda’s scales are usually olive green to greenish-brown, with black spots on the top of their body.
In the wild, Anacondas live for about 10 years.
Anacondas don’t lay eggs. Instead, they give birth to live babies. Around 20 to 40 baby snakes are born at once. When they are born, they are about 2 feet long. The babies can take care of themselves shortly after birth, including hunting for food. They eat things like rats, mice, baby birds, frogs, and small fish.
There haven’t been any confirmed cases of Anacondas eating humans.
The main threat to Anacondas comes from humans, either through hunting or by taking away their homes in nature.
Hello Artem, I read your post, it’s very interesting. I was suprised by the facts how long Anacondas can be (6 – 9 meters) and that they eat other animals and can have meals 4 to 5 times a year. Information about their babies is also amazing! Thank you for your post.