Anaconda Facts

Anaconda Facts
By Marlene Alphonse

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Whenever we think of anacondas, it sends shudders down the spine. In Hollywood movies, they have been portrayed as fearful creatures. But what are anacondas actually? Are they really such dangerous monsters as shown in the movies? Read the following article to know about anaconda facts.

Anaconda is a large south American snake that belongs to the family of boa constrictors. Anacondas, also known as water boas are one of the largest and most powerful snakes amongst other reptiles in the world. Anaconda is derived from Eunectes, which in Latin means 'good swimmer'. It is non venomous and comes in various colors like brown, olive green, pale yellow, grayish brown etc. and having large, oval black colored spots on its back. The anacondas are inhabitants of the rivers of Brazil and Guianas and are also found in the dense rain forests on the Amazon basin. The anaconda habitat is swamps and rivers of tropical regions in South America. Some anacondas like the Yellow Anaconda can be found in Argentina as well. Let us see more about anaconda facts and anacondas information.

Anaconda Snake Facts - Classification

Before taking a look at the anaconda facts let us know about the taxonomy of this enormous reptile, which is given below:

* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Chordata
* Class: Reptilia
* Order: Squamata
* Suborder: Serpentes
* Family: Boidae
* Genus: Eunectes
* Species: Eunectes deschauenseei, Eunectes notaeus, Eunectes beniensis, Eunectes murinus

Facts about Anacondas

Here are some interesting and amazing anaconda facts that will make you familiar with the world's heaviest and longest snakes.

* Though the origin of the word anaconda is unknown, there are many versions of it. Some people believe that the word anaconda originated from the Sinhalese (language of Sri Lanka) word henakandeya meaning 'a thing with an enormous body' or 'a whip snake'. A few others believed that anaconda is taken from the Tamil (a language spoken in Tamil Nadu, a state in South India) word anaikondran that means 'elephant killer'.

* Anacondas are also known in South America by many local names like matatoro (a Spanish term which means 'bull killer'), yakumama and sucuri (Native American terms used for anacondas).

* Out of the four types of anacondas, namely Dark-spotted anaconda, Yellow anaconda, Green anaconda and Bolivian anaconda, the biggest anaconda ever found is the Green anaconda.

* The world's biggest anaconda i.e. the Green anaconda is the heaviest snake of the world, with a fully grown adult anaconda weighing up to 550 pounds (or 227 kilograms approximately) and is 9 meters (approximately 30 feet) long.

* As its name suggests, the biggest anaconda in the world is olive green in color with oval shaped black splotches covering its back and white stripes on its either side.

* The biological name of the Green anaconda is Eunectes murinus, taken from Greek Eunectes meaning 'good swimmer' and Latin murinus which means ' who hunts mice'.

* The main diet of the anacondas is mice, frogs, turtles, pigs, deer etc. The anaconda constricts its prey by wrapping itself around the prey's body and stifling it. After the prey is dead, the anaconda leisurely swallows it. Since, it digests food very slowly, the anaconda can survive without food for more than a year, if it has eaten a large animal.

* Female anacondas are larger than the males and they give birth to live anacondas unlike other snakes, like pythons, who lay eggs. The female anaconda gives birth to about 25 to 30 offspring at a time. The baby anacondas are up to two feet long at the time of birth and can swim and hunt immediately after they are born.

* Since the jaws of the anaconda are unhinged, it can even swallow large animals like jaguars. The anacondas eat up to 40 pounds a day.

These were some interesting anaconda facts. Though anacondas are such huge reptiles, they hardly pose a threat to human beings. In fact, when they get a human scent they turn their course. It is we human beings who harm these magnificent reptiles for our selfish needs.