The green anaconda is a giant water boa of South America’s wetlands and rivers. It spends most of its time in or near water, where its bulk is supported.
Interesting facts
- It kills by constriction, not venom.
- Its eyes and nostrils are on top of its head, so it can lie almost submerged.
- It gives birth to live young, sometimes 20 to 40 or more.
- Breeding ‘balls’ form when many males coil around a single female.
- A study in 2024 proposed that northern populations are a separate species.
- Anacondas can go weeks or months without eating after a large meal.
Behaviour
Anacondas ambush prey at the water’s edge, seize it with their jaws and coil around it.
Breeding and young
Females give birth to live young, each about 60–80 cm long, which are independent at birth.
Threats and conservation
Widespread; habitat loss and killing by people in some areas.
Where to see it
- Llanos, Venezuela and Colombia
- Pantanal, Brazil
- Amazon lodges in Peru and Ecuador (with luck)
Status source: IUCN Red List. Profile last reviewed September 2026.
