The indigenous peoples of Brazil and Peru practice the commercialization of anacondas. The folklore of these regions considers green anacondas to have magical and spiritual properties, and their body parts are sold for ritualistic purposes. Their fat is used as medicine against rheumatism, inflammation, infection, asthma, and thrombosis in these areas.
Positive Impacts: body parts are source of valuable material; source of medicine or drug
Levels of predation pressure are typically based upon the size and health of an individual snake. Juveniles and small adult anacondas experience high mortality rates, as they are subject to predation by larger predators. There have been accounts of caiman and jaguars preying on young male snakes. As a result, small anacondas are extremely aggressive and bite frequently. Environmental pressures can also influence levels of predation, as savanna-dwelling anacondas experience increased predation during the dry season. Large anacondas, especially those that are females, experience lower rates of predation than their smaller counterparts. Female green anacondas will frequently cannibalize males, usually during breeding aggregations.
To avoid attackers, green anacondas will hide by burrowing into mud or fleeing into nearby water. However, when directly attacked or threatened, anacondas coil up into a ball. This posture allows them to protect their head, and also enables them to strike at the attacker. They also defend themselves by emitting an odor from their cloacal glands.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
Green anacondas are one of four closely related species of constrictors, the other species being Eunectes notaeus (yellow anaconda), E. deschauenseei (dark-spotted anaconda), and E. beniensis (Bolivian anaconda). These boas can be distinguished from other constricting snakes by the absence of the supraorbital bone in the roof of the skull. Boas have an external horny claw, a hind limb remnant that is more evident in males than in females. Like all snakes, anacondas have a forked tongue thay helps them locate prey and mates and to navigate their environment, in conjunction with the tubular Jacobson’s organ in the roof of the snake’s mouth.
Green anaconda coloration is characteristically dark olive-green dorsally, gradually changing to yellow ventrally. They have round dorsal blotches that are brown with diffused black borders, and are dispersed over the mid to posterior length of their body. Like other Eunectes species, they have narrow ventral scales and small, smooth dorsal scales. The scale plates at the anterior portion of their body are much larger than those at the posterior end. Their skin is soft, loose, and can endure extended periods of water absorption. Anacondas have dorsal nostrils and small eyes that are positioned on the top of the head. They also have a prominent black post-ocular stripe that runs from the eye to the angle of the jaw.
Green anacondas are the largest snakes in the world. There are records of 10 to 12 meter anacondas weighing up to 250 kg, though the actual maximal size of an anaconda is the subject of much dispute. Females typically have a much larger mass and length than males, with males reaching an average of 3 meters in length and females 6 meters. The sex of an anaconda is also reflected by the size of the spurs located in the cloacal region. Males have larger spurs (7.5 millimeters) than females, regardless of the female’s size.
Range mass: 250 (high) kg.
Range length: 3 to 12 m.
Average length: 6 m.
Other Physical Features: heterothermic
Sexual Dimorphism: female larger
The lifespan of green anacondas in the wild averages 10 years. In captivity, they may live for over 30 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 10 years.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 30 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 29.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 8.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13.9 years.
Green anacondas are semi-aquatic snakes that inhabit shallow, slow-moving freshwater habitats, as well as tropical savannas, grasslands, and rainforests.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial ; freshwater
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; rainforest
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams
Wetlands: swamp
Green anacondas are found throughout the tropical lowlands of South America. This species is particularly common in the Orinoco basin of eastern Columbia, Amazon River basin of Brazil, and the seasonally flooded Llanos grasslands of Venezuela. Additional countries where they may be found include Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, the Bolivarian Republic of Argentina, the Guianas, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad. Small populations of green anacondas have also been introduced into Florida.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced ); neotropical (Native )
Green anacondas are opportunistic apex predators, feeding on any prey that they can kill and swallow. Their diet includes various aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates such as fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals.
Juvenile anacondas feed on prey such as small birds and juvenile caiman that are typically 40-70 grams in size. As they develop, their diet becomes increasingly complex. Prey availability varies more in grasslands than in river basins. Green anacondas in both habitats have been found to feed on large prey, usually ranging from 14% to 50% of its own mass. A few examples of their prey include broad-snouted caimans (Caiman latirostris), wattled jacanas (Jacana jacana), capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), red-rumped agoutis (Dasyprocta leporine), collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), South American tapirs (Tapirus terrestris), red side-necked turtles (Rhinemys rufipes), and northern pudús Pudu mephistophiles. Green anacondas take a high risk by feeding on larger prey, which occasionally lead to serious injuries or even death. Some also feed on carrion and conspecifics, usually inside or around water. Occasionally, female green anacondas will feed on males. Large anacondas can go weeks to months without food after eating a large meal, because of their low metabolism. However, females show increased postpartum feeding rates to recover from their reproductive investment.
Green anacondas rely on stealth and ambush techniques as they hunt. Their body pattern provides effective camouflage, allowing a submerged anaconda to be virtually invisible from a short distance away. They attack at any time of day, restraining their prey using their needle-sharp, curved teeth for a secure grip while killing it by constriction. The more the prey struggles, the tighter the coiling will become, until the victim becomes unconscious. Death occurs through respiratory arrest and circulatory failure. Since feeding usually takes place near the water, prey are as likely to die from drowning as from constriction. The snake then slowly releases its coils and ingests its victim headfirst. This technique allows it to reduce obstruction of the limbs as it swallows its meal whole.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; amphibians; reptiles; fish; carrion
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates, Piscivore )
Green anacondas act as predators to a wide array of vertebrate species, with young snakes also serving as prey to a number of large predators. Health assessments of green anacondas in captivity have found that they can harbor a number of internal parasites. Captive snakes are also predisposed to diseases. Opportunistic parasites are most likely due to suboptimal husbandry and captivity. For the most part, wild anacondas seem to withstand parasitic loads well and are seemingly healthy.
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Green anacondas are among the only snakes that can reach the proportions necessary to possibly kill and consume a human being. However, attacks by green anacondas are rare due to low human population densities where the snakes are normally found.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (bites or stings)
Green anaconda neonates are larger than most snakes at birth. At a mean of 200 grams and 68 centimeters, they are on average 1% of the mass of the female that gave birth to them. They then undergo a 500 fold increase in biomass from birth to adulthood. Anacondas start to show evidence of sexual dimorphism after the first year of life.
There are differences in rates of development between savanna and river-dwelling snakes. Strong seasonality of prey availability may be present in savanna environments, with the result that river-dwelling individuals often are larger and heavier than savanna-dwelling snakes.
Development - Life Cycle: indeterminate growth
Possible threats to this species include habitat loss and the exotic pet trade. Anacondas are listed as a CITES Appendix II species, but information on them is relatively scarce. The Profauna (the Venezuelan Fish and Wildlife Service), the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Convention for the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) has funded the Green Anaconda Project to further understand potential threats to this species.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix ii
State of Michigan List: no special status
Green anacondas are able to detect approaching animals using vibrations. They are also able to detect chemical cues of nearby animals in the air using their forked tongues and Jacobson's organs. Male anacondas also use these structures to detect the pheromones of nearby females during the mating season. In addition to their chemosensory abilities, anacondas have pit organs along the upper lip, which are able to sense heat signatures of prey organisms. They are able to perceive visual and auditory stimuli as well, although these senses are more poorly developed than the above sensory modalities.
Communication Channels: tactile ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: pheromones
Perception Channels: visual ; infrared/heat ; tactile ; acoustic ; vibrations ; chemical
The genus Eunectes is proposed to have originated in the Miocene Epoch. In the early 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt offered a $5000 reward for the capture of a green anaconda and its transportation to the New York Zoological Society (now known as the Wildlife Conservation Society). This prize has since been withdrawn.
Green anacondas are polyandrous. Studies have reported that green anacondas breed in multiple-male aggregations of up to 13 males. Mating can last for several weeks. During this time, a female can mate several times with the courting males. Males surround the female to make a breeding ball, in which the snakes form a mass of writhing bodies. Males compete to gain access to the female by coiling around her, searching for her cloaca with their tails. Visual or chemical cues do not seem to be involved.
Females are selective in mating aggregations. In conditions of high density or when females are easy to track, males can encounter each other, which may lead to combat. However, male-to-male combat is rare. If one male is exceptionally large, it can be mistaken for a female by other males and may be courted. Large males typically mate with the most fertile and largest females.
Mating System: polyandrous
Green anacondas reach sexual maturity at approximately 3–4 years of age. Mating occurs during the dry season, between March and May, with males searching for females to mate with. Males have short term sperm storage, using up their reservoir after mating is completed. After mating, the female may eat one or more of her mating partners, as she does not take in food for up to seven months. This behavior may be beneficial in helping her to survive through the gestation period. Afterwards, males usually leave the impregnated female and return to their home ranges; the female does not migrate.
Females are ovoviviparous and incubate their eggs for 7 months until they give birth to live young. Their movements and foraging behaviors are limited to avoid compromising the health and success of their clutch. Females give birth in shallow water during the evening or late afternoon, at the end of the wet season. Females may give birth to as many as 82 young, averaging 20-40 offspring. Scientists report an association between clutch size and the size of the female, with large females typically having larger clutch sizes than smaller females. This association may be due to greater fat reserves in larger individuals. On average, these snakes breed every other year, allowing recuperation from the loss of energy required for reproduction.
Breeding interval: Green anacondas breed every other year
Breeding season: Breeding takes place from March-May. Birth occurs approximately 7 months later, at the end of the wet season.
Average number of offspring: 29.
Average gestation period: 7 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 3-4 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 3-4 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; fertilization ; ovoviviparous
Maternal provisioning and protection occurs throughout the gestation period. After birth, offspring are independent and receive no parental care.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement; pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), also known as the giant emerald anaconda, common anaconda, common water boa or sucuri, is a boa species found in South America and the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is the heaviest and one of the longest known extant snake species. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all boas, it is a non-venomous constrictor.
The term "anaconda" often refers to this species, though the term could also apply to other members of the genus Eunectes. Fossils of the snake date back to the Late Pleistocene in the Gruta do Urso locality.[1]
The green anaconda's specific name is derived from the Latin murinus, meaning 'of mice', for being thought to prey on mice.
The green anaconda is the world's heaviest and one of the world's longest snakes, reaching a length of up to 5.21 m (17 ft 1 in) long.[5] More typical mature specimens reportedly can range up to 5 m (16 ft 5 in), with adult females, with a mean length of about 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in), being generally much larger than the males, which average around 3 m (9 ft 10 in).[6][7][8] Weights are less well studied, though reportedly range from 30 to 80 kg (66 to 176 lb) in a typical adult.[9][10][11] It is the largest snake native to the Americas. Although it is slightly shorter than the reticulated python, it is far bulkier; the bulk of a 5.2-metre (17 ft 1 in) green anaconda is comparable to that of a 7.4-metre (24 ft 3 in) reticulated python.[12] Reports of anacondas 11–12 m (35–40 ft) or even longer also exist, but such claims must be regarded with caution, as no specimens of such lengths have ever been deposited in a museum and hard evidence is lacking.[13] The longest and heaviest verified specimen encountered by Dr. Jesús Antonio Rivas, who had examined more than 1,000 anacondas,[14] was a female 5.21 m (17 ft 1 in) long and weighing 97.5 kg (214 lb 15 oz).[5] In 1937, a specimen shot in Guyana measured 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in) long and weighed 163 kg (359 lb 6 oz).[15]
The color pattern consists of an olive green background overlaid with black blotches along the length of the body. The head is narrow compared to the body, usually with distinctive orange-yellow striping on either side. The eyes are set high on the head, allowing the snake to see out of the water while swimming without exposing its body. The anaconda's jaw bones splay open at the front because they are loosely connected. This allows it to swallow prey larger than the size of its head. The windpipe in its mouth allows it to breathe while swallowing its prey. Its largest organ is the liver. The digestion process takes many days to complete and during this time the anaconda behaves very sluggishly.[16]
The remote location of the snake's habitat has historically made locating, capturing, and returning specimens difficult. Transporting very large specimens to museums, especially before substantial decay, is difficult (though this has not prevented the return of much larger and more cumbersome crocodilian specimens).[13] Skins can stretch substantially, increasing the snake's size by more than 50% if stretched during the tanning process. Reports without physical proof are considered dubious if from non-scientists, as such individuals may at worst be more interested in promoting themselves or telling a good tale, or at the least may not be sufficiently trained in proper measurement methods. Observational reports of animals which were not captured are even more dubious, as even trained scientists often substantially overestimate the size of anacondas prior to capture.[13] According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this species has been perhaps subject to the most extreme size exaggerations of any living animal.[17]
Numerous historical accounts of green anacondas are reported, often of improbable sizes. Several zoologists (notably Henry Walter Bates and Alfred Russel Wallace, among others) note rumors of snakes beyond 9 or 12 m (30 or 40 ft) long, but in each case, their direct observations were limited to snakes around 6 m (20 ft) in length. Numerous estimates and second-hand accounts abound, but are generally considered unreliable. To prove the point of overestimating, in Guyana in 1937, zoologist Alpheus Hyatt Verrill asked the expedition team he was with to estimate the length of a large, curled-up anaconda on a rock. The team's guesses ran from 6.1 to 18.3 m (20 ft 0 in to 60 ft 0 in); when measured, this specimen was found to be 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in).[17]
Almost all specimens in excess of 6 m (20 ft), including a much-publicized specimen allegedly 11.36 m (37 ft 3 in) long, have no voucher specimens including skins or bones.[17]
The skin of one specimen, stretched to 10 m (32 ft 10 in), has been preserved in the Instituto Butantan in São Paulo and is reported to have come from an anaconda of 7.6 m (24 ft 11 in) in length.[17] While in Colombia in 1978, herpetologist William W. Lamar had an encounter with a large female specimen 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) long, estimated to weigh between 136 and 180 kg (300 and 397 lb).[13] In 1962, W.L. Schurz claimed to have measured a snake in Brazil of 8.46 m (27 ft 9 in) with a maximum girth of 112 cm (3 ft 8 in).[17] One female, reportedly measuring 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in) in length, shot in 1963 in Nariva Swamp, Trinidad, contained a 1.5-metre (4 ft 11 in) caiman.[17] A specimen of 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in), reportedly with a weight of 149 kg (328 lb), was caught at the mouth of the Kassikaityu River in Guyana, having been restrained by 13 local men, and was later air-lifted for a zoo collection in the United States, but died in ill health shortly thereafter.[17] The largest size verified for E. murinus in captivity was for a specimen kept in Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, which grew to a length of 6.27 m (20 ft 7 in) by the time she died on July 20, 1960. When this specimen was 5.94 m (19 ft 6 in) long, she weighed 91 kg (200 lb 10 oz).[17] The estimated weight for an anaconda in the range of 8 m (26 ft) would be at least 200 kg (441 lb).[17] National Geographic has published a weight up to 227 kg (500 lb) for E. murinus, but this is almost certainly a mere estimation.[18] Weight can vary considerably in large specimens depending on environmental conditions and recent feedings, with Verrill's aforementioned specimen, having been extremely bulky, scaled at 163 kg (359 lb 6 oz), whereas another specimen considered large at 5.06 m (16 ft 7 in), weighed only 54 kg (119 lb 1 oz).[17][19]
Size presents challenges to attain breeding condition in larger female anacondas. While larger sizes provide the benefit of a larger number of offspring per clutch, the breeding frequency of the individuals reduces with size, indicating that a point exists at which the advantage of a larger clutch size is negated by the female no longer being able to breed.[5] For the anaconda, this limit was estimated at 6.7 m (22 ft) in total length.[5] This is consistent with the results of a revision of the size at maturity and maximum size of several snakes from North America, which found that the maximum size is between 1.5 and 2.5 times the size at maturity.[20] The minimum size of breeding anacondas in a survey of 780 individuals was 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) in snout–vent length, indicating that maximum size attained by anacondas following this pattern would be 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) in snout–vent length.[5] However, most anacondas are captured from the llanos, which is more accessible to humans and has smaller prey available, while the rainforest, which is much less explored and has more plentiful large prey, may be home to larger snakes.[5][21]
In the famous 10th edition of Systema Naturae of 1758, Carl Linnaeus cited descriptions by Albertus Seba and by Laurens Theodorus Gronovius to erect the distinct species murina of his new genus Boa, which contained eight other species, including Boa constrictor.[22] The generic name Boa came from an ancient Latin word for a type of large snake. The first specimens of Boa murina were of immature individuals from 75 to 90 cm (2.5 to 3.0 ft) in length.[23] In 1830, Johann Georg Wagler erected the separate genus Eunectes for Linnaeus's Boa murina after more and larger specimens were known and described.[24] Because of the masculine gender of Eunectes, the feminine Latin specific name murina was changed to murinus.
Linnaeus almost certainly chose the scientific name Boa murina based on the original Latin description given by Albertus Seba[25] in 1735: "Serpens testudinea americana, murium insidiator" [tortoise-patterned (spotted) American snake, a predator that lies in wait for mice (and rats)]. The Latin adjective murinus (murina) in this case would mean "of mice" or "connected with mice", understood in context as "preying on mice", and not as "mouse-gray-colored" (another possible meaning of Latin murinus) as now often wrongly indicated for E. murinus. Early English-language sources, such as George Shaw, referred to the Boa murina as the "rat boa" and the Penny Cyclopaedia (Vol. 5) entry for boa explained: "The trivial name murina was given to it from being said to lie in wait for mice." Linnaeus[22] described the appearance of the Boa murina in Latin as rufus maculis supra rotundatis [reddish-brown with rounded spots on upper parts] and made no reference to a gray coloration. Early descriptions of the green anaconda by different authors variously referred to the general color like brown, glaucous, green, or gray.
Common names for E. murinus include green anaconda, anaconda, common anaconda, and water boa.[26]
Eunectes murinus is found in South America east of the Andes, in countries including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, the island of Trinidad, and as far south as northern Paraguay.[27] The type locality given is "America".[4]
At least one anaconda, a juvenile, has been found in the Florida Everglades.[28]
Anacondas live in swamps, marshes, lagoons, and slow-moving streams and rivers, mainly in the tropical rainforests and seasonally flooded savannas of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.[29] They are cumbersome on land, but stealthy and sleek in the water. Their eyes and nasal openings are on top of their heads, allowing them to lie in wait for prey while remaining nearly completely submerged.[18]
The primarily nocturnal anacondas tend to spend most of their lives in or around water.[30] They have the potential to reach high speeds when swimming. They tend to float beneath the surface of the water with their snouts above the surface. When prey passes by or stops to drink, the anaconda strikes (without eating or swallowing it) and coils around it with its body. The snake then constricts until it has suffocated the prey.[31]
Primarily aquatic, they are apex predators, preying on a wide variety of prey, almost anything they can manage to overpower, including fish, amphibians, birds, a variety of mammals, and other reptiles.[32][33] Particularly large anacondas may consume large prey such as tapirs, deer, peccaries, capybaras, jaguars, and caimans, but such large meals are not regularly consumed.[34][18] Juvenile anacondas feed on prey such as small birds and juvenile caiman that are typically 40–70 grams in size. As they develop, their diet becomes increasingly complex. Prey availability varies more in grasslands than in river basins. Green anacondas in both habitats have been found to feed on large prey, usually ranging from 14% to 50% of its own mass. A few examples of their prey include broad-snouted caimans, spectacled caimans, yacare caimans, black caimans, smooth-fronted caimans, wattled jacanas, capybaras, red-rumped agoutis, collared peccaries, South American tapirs, boa constrictors, brown-banded water snakes, green iguanas, cryptic golden tegus, scorpion mud turtles, gibba turtles, Arrau turtles, savanna side-necked turtles, red side-necked turtles, and northern pudús.[35] Green anacondas take a high risk by feeding on larger prey, which occasionally lead to serious injuries or even death. However, in addition to using constriction to subdue their prey, anacondas have the ability to drown them by keeping them upside down in the water. In the wild, by drowning your victim during subjugation, it will likely reduce the chances of sustaining injuries during predation.[36] Some also feed on carrion and conspecifics, usually inside or around water. Large anacondas can go weeks to months without food after eating a large meal, because of their low metabolism. However, females show increased postpartum feeding rates to recover from their reproductive investment.[33] The green anaconda's eyes and nose are located on the top of the head, allowing the snake to breathe and watch for prey while the vast majority of the body is hidden underwater.[37] Many local stories and legends report the anaconda as a man-eater, but little evidence supports any such activity. They employ constriction and drowning to subdue their prey.[36] Cannibalism among green anacondas is also known, most recorded cases involving a larger female consuming a smaller male. While the exact reason for this is not understood, scientists cite several possibilities, including the dramatic sexual dimorphism in the species, and the possibility that a female anaconda requires additional food intake after breeding to sustain the long period of gestation. The nearby male simply provides the opportunistic female a ready source of nutrition.[38]
This species is solitary until the mating season, which occurs during the rainy season, and can last for several months, usually from April to May. During this time, males must find females. Typically, female snakes lay down a trail of pheromones for the males to follow, but how the males of this species track a female's scent is still unclear. Another possibility is that the female releases an airborne stimulant. This theory is supported by the observation of females that remain motionless, while many males move towards them from all directions. Male anacondas also frequently flick their tongues to sense chemicals that signal the presence of a female.[39]
Many males can often find the same female. This results in odd clusters referred to as "breeding balls", in which up to 12 males wrap around the same female and attempt to copulate. The groups can stay in this position for two to four weeks. This ball acts as a slow-motion wrestling match between the males, each one fighting for the opportunity to mate with the female.[40]
During mating, males make use of their spurs to arouse the female. They aggressively press their cloacal regions hard against the female body, while continuously scratching her with their spurs. This can produce a scratching sound. Mating approaches its climax when the stimulus of the males' spurs induces the female snake to raise her cloacal region, allowing the cloacae of the two snakes to move together. The male then coils his tail, surrounding the female, and they copulate.[41] The strongest and largest male is often the victor. However, females are physically much larger and stronger and may decide to choose from among the males. Courtship and mating occur almost exclusively in water.
Mating is followed by a gestation period of six to seven months. The species is ovoviviparous, with females giving birth to live young. Litters usually consist of 20 to 40 offspring, although as many as 100 may be produced. After giving birth, females may lose up to half their weight.
Neonates are around 70–80 cm (2 ft 4 in – 2 ft 7 in) long [42] and receive no parental care. Because of their small size, they often fall prey to other animals. Should they survive, they grow rapidly until they reach sexual maturity in their first few years, after which they continue to grow at a slower pace.[31]
However, when no male anacondas are available to provide offspring, facultative parthenogenesis is possible, have records of viable, female homozygous litter.[30] In August 2014, West Midlands Safari Park announced that on 12 August 2014 a female green anaconda, which was being kept with another female anaconda, through parthenogenesis had given birth to three young.[43][44]
Green Anacondas in the wild live for approximately 10 years. In captivity, however, they can live up to 30 years and beyond. The current Guinness Book of World Records for the oldest living snake in captivity is a green anaconda aged 37 years 317 days when verified (14 May 2021 – Paul Swires) held by Annie the Green Anaconda, currently at Montecasino Bird & Reptile Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.[45]
Anacondas have been portrayed in horror literature and films, often incredibly gigantic and with the ability to swallow adult humans; these traits are occasionally also attributed to other species, such as the Burmese python and the reticulated python, but to less extent than to the green anaconda. Despite having the capability to overpower a man, there is no verified evidence of this species consuming humans, unlike the reticulated python. This is possibly because large specimens inhabit remote areas deep inside the Amazon jungle, which is isolated from humans, unlike the python in Asia.[46][47][48][49] Among the most popular of such films are the 1997 film Anaconda and its four sequels.
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) The green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), also known as the giant emerald anaconda, common anaconda, common water boa or sucuri, is a boa species found in South America and the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is the heaviest and one of the longest known extant snake species. No subspecies are currently recognized. Like all boas, it is a non-venomous constrictor.
The term "anaconda" often refers to this species, though the term could also apply to other members of the genus Eunectes. Fossils of the snake date back to the Late Pleistocene in the Gruta do Urso locality.
