This snake is truly deserving of the title “giant” – they are capable of growing to around 6 metres (20 feet) long and weighing in excess of 150 kilograms (330 pounds). There are old reports of anacondas in excess of 30 feet but they are yet to be proven accurate! Don’t forget to come and check out my new home in front of the Australiana Shop, underneath the Crikey Café.

Green anacondas are found throughout Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. This species loves to hang out in swamps, marshes and slow-moving streams found in the tropical rainforests. They are a very heavy-bodied snake which makes them quite cumbersome out on land, but they are very sleek and stealthy in the water. Their eyes and nostrils are positioned near the top of their heads to help them with this aquatic lifestyle.

Anacondas spend most of their time in the water so it makes sense that they would hunt there, too. They will often catch and eat fish and water birds but they will also hunt larger mammals at the water’s edge, waiting for their larger prey to take a drink. Large anacondas will prey upon deer, tapir, capybaras and even caiman on some occasions.