Reptiles · Squamata · Boidae

Green Anaconda

Eunectes murinus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world: females exceed five metres and can pass a hundred kilos, far more than the reticulated python, which is longer but much more slender. It lives in the wetlands of South America, hunts from ambush in the water and kills by constriction. It is viviparous and shows extreme sexual dimorphism.

Weight

30 kg – 150 kg

Size

3 m – 6 m

Lifespan

30 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestFreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Rainforest Freshwater

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Fun facts

It is the heaviest snake on the planet: although the reticulated python is longer, a large anaconda can weigh three times as much, and its body reaches the girth of a human torso.
Its dimorphism is among the most extreme of any vertebrate: females can weigh five times as much as males, and during breeding as many as a dozen males form a writhing ball around a single female for weeks.
It is virtually aquatic: its weight makes it clumsy on land, but in the water it moves quickly and can stay submerged for long spells with only its eyes and nostrils showing.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Slow rivers, marshes, swamps and floodplains of Amazonia, the Orinoco and the Guianas
Sexual maturity: 2.5 years
Gestation / incubation: 7 months of gestation
Litter / clutch size: 30 live young

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/