Big, expert at swimming and able to deliver a deadly squeeze. When you think of an anaconda, you know what to expect. Or do you?
Did you know, there are actually several different snakes that go by the name 'anaconda'? And they are not all the same...
Found across South America, anacondas are among the world's largest snakes. They are semi-aquatic, spending much of their lives either in or near slow-moving water – such as marshes, swamps and flooded areas – and can stay underwater for several minutes at a time.
Female anacondas are generally bigger than male anacondas. Although we are used to seeing the anaconda as a figure of terror in popular culture, they rarely prey on humans.
Often when people refer to an anaconda, they mean either the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) or the yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus).
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So, yellow or green anaconda: is there really a difference? Well, the short answer to that is, yes. Here's how to tell them apart.
How to tell the difference between a green and yellow anaconda
Size
Although yellow and green anacondas are closely related, there are several differences between the two species, including size. The green anaconda is the heaviest snake in the world, and although the reticulated python is longer, the green anaconda's girth makes it substantially heavier.
Weighing around 250kg, measuring over 30cm in diameter, and growing to more than 8.8m, green anacondas are huge, with females significantly larger than males.
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Yellow anacondas are smaller, although they are still classed as one of the largest snakes in the world. They grow to an average of 3.7m, with some females measuring up to 4.6m. They weigh around 25-35kg but there have been individuals that have weighed more than 55kg.
Colour
As their names suggest, the yellow and green anacondas have different colouring: green anacondas are olive green, with black spots all over their bodies and black and yellow scales on their bellies; yellow anacondas, by contrast, are lighter and yellowish in colour, with black or dark brown blotches and streaks. The pattern of yellow and black scales on the underside of the lower tail is unique to each snake.
That's not all
Because of their massive size, green anacondas are slow movers on land, but they are exceptionally quick in water. Their prey includes feral pigs, deer, birds, turtles, caimans and even jaguars. An anaconda is a constrictor, a hunter that uses its body to suffocate and squeeze prey.
There are no documented records of a green anaconda eating a human, though their jaws are wide enough to get around an adult human's shoulders.
