Fun Facts

• While they are doubtless the largest snakes in the world, much debate exists about the maximal size of green anacondas. Because the largest ones live in the most remote locations and snakeskins can stretch to double their size, claims about giant snakes 20–40 feet long are often unsubstantiated by the scientific community. Pittsburgh Zoo had a female that measured 20' 7" and weighed 200 pounds at her death. The largest anaconda measured by a scientist who studied over 1,000 specimens measured 17' 1" and weighed 215 pounds. A construction site in Brazil filmed one that measured 33' 3" and weighed 880 pounds, but it was not verified in scientific literature.
• While slow on land, they are fast in the water and spend much of their time submerged with only their nostrils and eyes exposed.
• They can eat prey up to 50% of their size and may go months without eating after a large meal. Known prey items include caimans, capybaras, deer, jaguars, and peccaries.
• Females are known for cannibalizing males after mating, likely as a head start for growing young. Females are also capable of parthenogenesis, or cloning themselves.
• In 2024, green anacondas were officially split into a larger northern rainforest-dwelling (species akiyama) and a smaller grassland-dwelling southern species. Rainforest dwellers have access to more consistent prey, which is why they are larger. Anacondas in the south survive dry seasons by burrowing in mud.