Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
The Green Anaconda is a boa species found in South America, east of the Andes, in countries including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, the island of Trinidad, and as far south as northern Paraguay. Anacondas live in swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rainforests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.
They are a primarily nocturnal species and tend to spend most of its life in or around water. Anacondas are also sometimes known as the water boa; they spend more time in water than any of the boas. Because of their large sizes, they seem rather slow and sluggish when traveling on land. Completely the opposite in water, anacondas are known to have the potential to reach high speeds in all depths of water. They tend to float atop the surface of the water with their snouts barely poking out above the surface.
The green anaconda is one of the world’s longest snakes, reaching more than 22 feet long. It is the largest snake native to the Americas and probably the heaviest species of snake, weighing in around 200 lbs. The color pattern consists of olive green background overlaid with black blotches along the length of the body. The head is narrow compared to the body, usually with distinctive orange-yellow striping on either side. The eyes are set high on the head, allowing the snake to see out of the water while swimming without exposing its body.
Primarily aquatic, they eat a wide variety of prey, almost anything they can manage to overpower, including fish, birds, a variety of mammals, and other reptiles. Particularly large anacondas may even consume large prey such as deer and pigs. They employ constriction to subdue their prey. Cannibalism among green anacondas is also known.
Information courtesy of wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunectes_murinus
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