Anaconda

Eunectes murinus

The heaviest snake in the world

Numbers

Weight: 110 lbadult average, from 65 to 150 lb
Length: 16 ftfemales around 15 ft, males around 10 ft
Lifespan: 10 yearsup to 10 years in the wild
Maximum verified weight: 215 lbfemale examined by researcher Jesús Antonio Rivas
Maximum verified length: 17 ftlarger measurements are not supported by preserved specimens
Offspring per birth: 100 babiesusually from 20 to 40

the scientific name murinus means of mice, because people once believed this snake fed mainly on small rodents.
the genus name, Eunectes, means good swimmer in Greek, and was created in 1830 by Johann Georg Wagler.
it still has two tiny hind limbs called spurs, which are visible remnants of legs that its ancient ancestors had.
tanned snake skins can stretch by more than fifty percent, which explains many exaggerated historical length records.
according to Guinness World Records, no other living animal has had its size exaggerated as much as this giant snake.
a reward of fifty thousand dollars was once offered to anyone who could catch an anaconda at least thirty feet long.
females sometimes eat males after mating, which may help them gain extra energy for their six-month-long pregnancy.
during mating season, up to twelve males wrap themselves around one female, forming a giant tangle that lasts for weeks.
it does not lay eggs, giving birth to twenty to forty live young that are two feet long and immediately independent.
in 2014, a female kept without any males in an English park gave birth to three babies through virgin birth.

The first one is the question printed in your book: here is the answer. The other four are extra.

Question 1 of 5★ this one is in your book

What is the true record of the green anaconda?

Question 2 of 5

How long was the largest anaconda ever measured with certainty?

Question 3 of 5

How does it kill its prey?

Question 4 of 5

How are baby anacondas born?

Question 5 of 5

Why are its eyes and nostrils on top of its head?

Experiment 1

Unroll a measuring tape to seventeen feet down your hallway. That is the exact length of the largest anaconda ever measured with certainty.

Experiment 2

Ask five people to guess the length of a table by eye and then measure it. You will see why wild guesses about snakes are often wrong.

Experiment 3

Divide two hundred and fifteen pounds by your own weight. That will tell you how many of you equal the heaviest anaconda ever recorded.