GReen anaconda

Physical features

• Green anacondas are semi-aquatic and they inhabit slow-moving freshwater streams as well as tropical savannahs, grasslands, and rainforests.

• They have a green color on the dorsal side of their body which fades into a yellow color on the ventral side of their body. Round brown blotches surrounded by black borders cover the dorsal side of their body.

• Their eyes are on top of their head to allow body to stay submerged

• There is a black post-ocular stripe that runs from the eye down to the jaw.

• Females are usually larger than males.

Diet: Carnivore

• Wild – aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates (fish, other reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals)

• Zoo – Large rats and rabbits

Reproduction

• The sex of the green anaconda can be determined by the size of their spurs around their cloacal region. Males always have larger spurs.

• Females breed in multiple male aggregations (up to 13 males) and mating can last for several weeks. The males surround the female and form a breeding ball and they compete with each other for access to the female.

• Large males tend to mate with the largest and most fertile females.

• The anacondas reach sexual maturity around 6 years old.

• Mating occurs March through May. The males look for the females.

• Larger anacondas have been known to eat smaller anacondas

• Females incubate their eggs internally for 7 months and then they give birth to live young. They can give birth to as many as 82 young, with an average of about 20-40.

• The green anaconda breeds every other year.

Interpretive Information

• Green anacondas are the largest snakes in the world. They can reach lengths over 20 feet and weigh over 300 lbs.

• To avoid attacks, green anacondas will flee into nearby water or coil into a ball to protect their heads. They can also release a foul smelling odor from their cloacal gland.

• To detect approaching animals, green anacondas can detect vibrations in the ground and chemical cues in the air. They also have pit organs on their upper lip that sense infrared light signatures.

• They can regulate their body temperatures by changing the surface area of their body exposed to the sun.

• The anacondas attack their prey and kill them by constriction. After their prey is dead, they ingest the prey whole, head first to avoid obstructions from the limbs.

Updated October 2014