How big can a green anaconda grow? Green anacondas are one of the largest snakes in the world. Zoo fact sheets say a green anaconda can reach 30 feet (9 meters) in length. They say a green anaconda can weigh about 550 pounds. They say a green anaconda can reach a body width of 12 inches (30 centimeters). As of November 2026, the green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world. You may have heard that the green anaconda is also the longest snake. In fact, a reticulated python can reach slightly greater lengths, National Geographic says. But the green anaconda is much heavier. This is as of November 2026.

Female green anacondas are bigger than the males. Full-grown females have few enemies because they are so big. Green anacondas do not lay eggs. A mother gives birth to live babies. A female usually has 20 to 40 live babies at a time. As of November 2026, the largest litter on record had 82 young.

Green anacondas live in South America. Green anacondas typically live in swamps, marshes and slow-moving streams. A green anaconda rests in the sun. It lies on river banks and on tree branches that hang over the water. A green anaconda is olive-green with dark oval spots. The color and spots of a green anaconda help it blend in. It blends in with the plants in the wet places where it lives.

A green anaconda spends most of its time in the water. A green anaconda is an excellent swimmer. The name Eunectes means good swimmer. It is the group name for anacondas. As of November 2026, a green anaconda can stay under water for about 10 minutes. 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.

A green anaconda flicks its tongue to pick up scents in the air. A green anaconda has heat-sensing pits on its upper lip. They help it find warm animals. A green anaconda can feel the vibrations of animals moving nearby. A green anaconda is not a very active hunter. It waits in the water. It waits for animals to swim by or come to the water to drink.

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

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the green anaconda as Least Concern, as of November 2026. Trade in green anacondas is regulated under CITES Appendix II. That is a list of species whose trade is watched. This is as of November 2026. Green anacondas are hunted for their skins and captured for the pet trade.

Green anacondas are ready to have young at about 3 to 4 years old. Sometimes many male anacondas gather around one female. The group is called a breeding ball. Green anacondas are mostly solitary. That means they live alone, except when they breed. In the wild, a green anaconda lives about 10 years on average. That is as of November 2026.

Words to know

• constrictor: a squeezing snake
• litter: baby group
• reticulated: a python type