How big can a green anaconda grow? It is one of the largest snakes in the world. It belongs to the boa family. As of November 2026, it is the heaviest snake in the world. The female snakes are bigger than the males.

Green anacondas live in South America. They typically live in swamps, marshes and slow-moving streams. They spend most of their time in the water. They are excellent swimmers. They are olive-green with dark oval spots. Their color and spots help them blend in. They blend in with the plants in the wet places where they live.

A green anaconda has its eyes and nose on top of its head. So it can see and breathe while most of its body is under the water. It is not a very active hunter. It waits in the water for animals to swim by or come to the water to drink. It flicks its tongue to pick up scents in the air.

A green anaconda is a constrictor. It wraps its strong body around its food and squeezes. Young ones eat small animals, such as fish. Grown ones eat large animals. They eat deer and capybaras. After a big meal, it can go weeks without eating. It can even go months.

Green anacondas are mostly solitary. That means they live alone, except when they breed. A mother does not lay eggs. She gives birth to live babies. In the wild, it lives about 10 years on average. That is as of November 2026.

Words to know

• swamps: wet land
• capybaras: water rodents
• constrictor: a squeezing snake
• solitary: living alone