Scientific Name
Eunectes murinus
Eunectes murinus
Range
South America east of the Andes Mountains. Numerous in the Amazon River basin in Brazil, Orinoco basin of Columbia, and the flooded Llanos grasslands of Venezuela.
South America east of the Andes Mountains. Numerous in the Amazon River basin in Brazil, Orinoco basin of Columbia, and the flooded Llanos grasslands of Venezuela.
Conservation Status
Least concern
Least concern
Heavy Weight
The green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world. They can weigh as much as 1,100 pounds. This is about twice as heavy as the reticulated python.
What A Big Mouth You Have
Contrary to popular belief, snakes do not “unhinge” their jaws to eat large prey. Instead, snakes have two lower jaws that are not fused together. Each lower jaw has two hinges which allows snakes to move each jaw in different directions. This allows the snake to spread their lower jaws so they can swallow prey much larger than their own head.
To learn more, download the Green Anaconda fact sheet.