History & Records

Green Anaconda: The Largest Snake In The Universe (Photos below)

Published

3 years ago

December 14, 2020

This huge reptile titan is native to South America. The green Anaconda weighs an impressive 550 pounds and spans between 20 and 30 feet making it the largest snake in the universe That is like the size of a school bus.

While its relative the Reticulated python can be longer than this, Anacondas staggering weight is not equalled by any snake, not even this python which is twice lighter than the anaconda. For them, the females are larger than the males.

In water and on land

You would likely find these enormous creatures in marshes, swamps, slow – moving streams and Amazon tropical forests. In water, they are sleek and stealthy while in land, these reptiles are cumbersome. To be able to breath while submerged, their nasal openings and eyes are located on top of their heads.

Diet and hunting

Anacondas use their muscular bodies to coil and constrict the prey suffocating them. They squeeze it until it asphyxiates. They reach their enormous monumental size after feeding n birds, deer, turtles, wild pigs, capybara, caimans, wild pigs and jaguars. Regardless of the size of its prey, Anacondas are able to swallow their prey whole thanks to their jaws which are usually attached by stretchy ligaments. Because of their slow digestion compared to the size of their meal, these animals can live with one meal for several weeks and even months.

Reproduction

Just like the puff adders, Anacondas give birth to live young. When other egg laying animals release their eggs to the outside, the Anacondas retain their eggs and so the incubation happens within them. The baby snakes slither within minutes and even hunt soon enough after birth and are often up to feet in length. They give birth to three dozen young ones. Anacondas can live for as long as even 10 years.