Anaconda

The Anaconda or green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is one of the largest snakes in the world.

It is a non-venomous boa species from South America. It is the thickest, heaviest, and second longest known living snake (behind the reticulated python). The term "anaconda" usually means this species.

 Habitat 
The anaconda is also called the water boa. It lives in swampy areas of tropical South America. The snake spends a lot of time in shallow water. This hides it from unsuspecting prey. Anacondas give birth to live young. Twenty to forty baby snakes are born at one time. The largest specimens measured  long and weighed 

 Hunting and diet 
All snakes are carnivores (meat-eaters). Anaconda eat 4 to 5 times each year. This is because it takes them 3 to 4 months to digest their food. Anacondas normally hunt at night. Anacondas kill by constricting (squeezing) the prey until its heartbeat stops.  They may also drown their prey. Like all snakes, they swallow the prey whole. They swallow it head first. The anaconda's top and bottom jaws are attached to each other with stretchy ligaments/b This lets let the snake swallow animals wider than itself. Snakes do not chew their food. They digest it with strong acids in their stomach. Anacondas eat pigs, deer, caiman (a type of crocodilia), birds, fish, rodents (like the capybara and agouti) and other animals. After eating a large animal, the anaconda does not needs food for a long time/ It will rest for weeks after eating. The young (called neonates) can care for themselves soon after birth. This includes hunting. At this age, they are mostly defenseless against large predators. They eat small rodents (like rats and mice), baby birds, frogs and small fish. All anacondas are very expensive. Their cost is between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on their size and the breeder.

 Other species 
There are four species in the genus Eunectes:
SpeciesTaxon authorSubspecies
other than nominate "Eunetes". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 18 July 2008. ITIS Standard Report Page: EunectesCommon nameGeographic rangeE. beniensisDirksen, 20020Bolivian anacondaSouth America in the Departments of Beni and Pando in Bolivia.E. deschauenseeiDunn and Conant, 19360Dark-spotted anacondaSouth America in northeastern Brazil and coastal French Guiana.E. murinus(Linnaeus, 1758)1Green anacondaSouth America in countries east of the Andes, including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and on the island of Trinidad.E. notaeusCope, 18620Yellow anacondaSouth America in eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.

 References 

Category:Boidae
Category:Reptiles of South America