Anaconda (Green Anaconda)

Eunectes murinus is dark green (hence the name Green Anaconda) with alternating oval black spots. Similar spots with yellow-ochre centers are along the sides of its body. It has a large narrow head that is not distinct from the thick neck. Its eyes and nostrils are set on the top of its head, which allows it to see and breathe while mostly submerged. This species is a constrictor and not poisonous. Adults can grow to over 9 m. For its length, it is much heavier than other large constrictors; so if weight and length are considered, it is the largest snake in the world. It is mostly covered with scales and has spurs (small claw like appendages on either side of the cloaca. The pattern of scales found along the black and yellow underside of the lower tail are unique to each snake and can serve as a method of identification, much like the fingerprint (Coborn 1991; Encyclopedia Britannica 1995; Kemper 1996).