The Mighty Anaconda: South America's Giant Predator

by Joseph Zheng, age 9

Have you ever seen a snake that can eat an alligator? From little prey to big creatures, the anaconda can eat them all.

The anaconda lurks downstream in a muddy place, perfect for seeking prey, and blends in with its brown body waiting to strike. The anaconda is not like most snakes. It does not inject poison, instead it squeezes its prey to death with its strong muscles and long, big body. It has a huge circumference of almost three feet.

Anacondas have their nostrils positioned upward so they can breathe when they are drifting underwater. Their eyes help them see prey at night. The anaconda has two rows of backward teeth and one row at the bottom. They use their wide opening jaws to swallow prey that many be bigger than itself. The anaconda can sense movement in land and water. This lurking beast is active at night and is a great swimmer that hunts in the shadows.

Anacondas eat almost everything that fits in its monstrous mouth. In fact, it weigh up to 551 pounds and be as long as 19 to 27 feet. The anaconda’s lifespan is 30 years in captivity. It lives in tropical rainforests of South America, east of Andes Mountains, to the north in Venezuela, to the south in Paraguay, and offshore in Trinidad. The anacondas' favorite habitats are swampy savannas, rivers, streams, and lakes.

There is so much more to learn about this powerful creature that lives mostly in South America!

[Source: World's Most Scariest Cold Blooded Creatures]