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All Animals

Green Anaconda

The heaviest snake in the world, a green anaconda, lies in wait in the water below the separated howler monkeys in the gallery forest canopy.

Animal Facts

Scientific Name

Eunectes murinus

Range

Trinidad, northern South America

Location in the Zoo

South America’s Pantanal

Cool Animal Fact

The green anaconda relies on constriction to kill its prey, asphyxiating the animal, before swallowing it whole. Elastic ligaments allow the jaws to stretch widely, accommodating prey many times the width of the head and body. Large meals provide enough nourishment that the snake can go weeks or months without food.

How We Help Save Them

  • We provide support for conservationists working with local ranchers and governments to develop plans to protect areas where anacondas live in the Pantanal.