How Big Are Green Anacondas?
The average green anaconda can be about 20 feet long and weigh 200-300 pounds. Apart from being the largest snake, no other serpent can also top the green anaconda’s heftiness. Anacondas are huge, thick-skinned snakes that can weigh up to 500 pounds. If you extended a green anaconda out to its full length, it would be about the length of a school bus! Female green anacondas are typically larger than males. Even if you disregard the theoretical longest snake record, green anacondas are still the biggest snakes. Reticulated and Burmese pythons are both extremely lengthy snakes. However, because they are thin, they do not weigh much. The longest and heftiest anaconda ever reported weighed 500 pounds, was 27.7 feet long, had a 3-foot girth, and a diameter of 44 inches. They usually lurk in tall vegetation when not in the water, allowing them to ambush prey. Furthermore, they appreciate remaining hidden from other predators looking to make a meal out of them. Green anacondas are native to South America, although they can be found worldwide. These giant snakes have indeed made their way to the United States. They are one of the numerous invasive species that have arrived in the United States, most notably in the Florida Everglades.
Are Green Anacondas Dangerous?
While green anacondas, or any anaconda species, do not belong to the venomous group of snakes, they are still very dangerous. They are constrictors, which means they subdue their prey by constricting or wrapping their long and hefty bodies around their prey and squeezing it before swallowing it whole. As green anacondas grow almost five times human length and weigh hundreds of pounds, they can be extremely dangerous. Although reports of attacks on humans are rare, they can take down large animals such as deer and, on some occasions, jaguars. Still, with such a gigantic slithering body, you might want to step aside, especially if you are wandering around its quarters. Thankfully, green anacondas are not extremely aggressive in the wild.
What Do Green Anacondas Eat?
Anacondas are carnivorous animals that consume deer, caimans, birds, jaguars, and other animals. Juveniles prefer to consume fish, birds, and small mammals. Because green anacondas live in marshes and swamps, they hunt aquatic species such as capybara, turtles, frogs, and fish. Anacondas move poorly and slowly on land, but they are quick and skilled hunters in the water. Green anacondas submerge the majority of their bodies before striking their opponents. They can stay entirely submerged for 10 minutes, with only their eyes visible. When they come to something edible, they will leap from the water, seize the victim, wrap it up, and kill it. Females will occasionally cannibalize males, particularly during breeding seasons. Anacondas may seek and kill huge prey such as deer, which implies they don’t need to eat as frequently after a kill. They have a relatively slow metabolism, allowing them to live for several weeks without eating.
Rainbow boa
Yellow Anaconda
South American Rattlesnake
Green Vine Snake
Green vine snakes can be found in both Central and South America. They have slim bodies and can grow to be six feet long. They have glowing green skin, orange eyes, and a pointy snout. Green vine snakes mostly prey on small lizards, birds, and frogs.
