Anaconda - Largest Snake in the World

After making a thrilling villainous appearance in movies, this snake is now known to almost everyone all over the world. Anaconda also known as "Water Boa" belongs to 'Boa' family of snakes, which is one of the largest and most powerful snakes in the world.

The average length of an anaconda is about 20-25 feet and about 13 inches in diameter, weighing around 150 kg or more than that. According to the records, the biggest anaconda ever found was of length more than 37 feet (i.e., more than 11 meters). There may be larger Anacondas which are unseen. Anacondas are found in the rivers in the rain forests of South America, Brazil and Guiana. Anaconda chooses sluggish and swamp streams as well as it stays in rivers as stated above. Anacondas are mainly found in Arizona and Orinoco basins. Their natural habitat includes rain forests, grasslands, etc.

Anacondas are nocturnal and non-venomous. Anacondas are so strong that they do not need poison to kill their prey or save themselves from predators. The animal kills its prey by constriction and squeezing. Anacondas are carnivorous in nature. Anaconda takes help of color of its skin to hide in the water while hunting for food. It hides itself in shallow water, when the prey comes closer to drink water from the basin; the anaconda that's resting in, anaconda attacks it in a rapid action. It winds itself around the body of its prey and squeezes the prey's body, ultimately restricting respiration; the prey dies of suffocation. Anacondas feed on aquatic, amphibious animals such as fish, small rodents, frogs, ducks (birds), turtles and some type of mammals such as sheep, deer, peccaries, dogs, etc. The anaconda's jaw can open wide enough to swallow animals in size. Anacondas, like other snakes, are cold-blooded snakes, that do not chew their food but swallow it, which is then digested along with the bones with the help of strong acids inside the snake's stomach. Anaconda, just like other reptiles, rests for a few days to some weeks depending upon the size of the food.

Anacondas are snakes but do not have fangs. There are two types of anacondas; greenish-brown and yellow in color. Yellow anacondas are smaller in length (not exceeding 10-15 feet) than greenish-brown anacondas. Greenish-brown anacondas carry a double row of black oval spots on the back and smaller white markings on the sides. Female anacondas generally outweigh the male anaconda.

Anacondas generally reach sexual maturity after 3-4 years of age. The mating season for anaconda begins near the start of rains. The female anaconda gives off a typical scent, which attracts male anacondas in the vicinity, if more than one anaconda gathers, then they compete for the female; the strongest male can mate with the female anaconda. The pair may choose to stay together for several months. The gestation period in an anaconda is for nearly six months after which the female anaconda gives birth to 20-80 living young snakes at one time. The young anaconda measures about 2 feet and can stay independent of its parents just in some hours after birth.