Green Anaconda

Description:

Common names: Green Anaconda, Anaconda, Common Anaconda, Water Boa. Eunectes murinus (derived from the Greek "Ευνήκτης" meaning "good swimmer" and the Latin murinus, translated into "he who predates on mice") is a non-venomous boa species found in South America. It is the heaviest known snake species. The term anaconda (without further qualification) often refers to this species, though the term could also apply to other members of the genus Eunectes. The Green Anaconda is one of the world's longest snakes, reaching more than 6.6 m (22 ft) long.[2] Reports of anacondas 35–40 feet or even longer also exist, but such claims need to be regarded with caution as no specimens of such lengths have ever been deposited in a museum and hard evidence is lacking. The color pattern consists of olive green background overlaid with black blotches along the length of the body. The head is narrow compared to the body, usually with distinctive orange-yellow striping on either side. The eyes are set high on the head, allowing the snake to see out of the water while swimming without exposing its body.

Habitat:

Anacondas live in swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. They are cumbersome on land, but stealthy and sleek in the water. Their eyes and nasal openings are on top of their heads, allowing them to lie in wait for prey while remaining nearly completely submerged. Eunectes murinus is found in South America east of the Andes, in countries including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, the island of Trinidad and as far south as northern Paraguay.

Notes:

Common names for Eunectes murinus include Green Anaconda, Anaconda, Common Anaconda and Water Boa. Local names in South America include the Spanish term mata-toro, meaning "bull killer", and the Native American terms sucuri (Tupi) and yaqumama in the Peruvian Amazon, which means "mother of the water" in the Quechua language of the jungle people Yaqurunas or "water people". In Trinidad, it has been traditionally referred to as the huille or huilla (pronounced whee-yay or whee-ya, respectively). SOURCE: Wikipedia