Anaconda
(snake)
Common
name for large South American snakes of the boa family.
Anacondas are among the largest and most powerful
snakes in the world.
The
common anaconda is the longest snake in the western
hemisphere and the heaviest snake in the world; a
large adult may be 6 m (20 ft) long and weigh 107
kg (235 lb).
Anacondas
kill their prey by constriction or squeezing.
The
common anaconda inhabits the river systems of northern
and Amazonian South America east of the Andes.
The
yellow anaconda is much smaller, usually not exceeding
3 to 4 m (10 to 13 ft), and lives in the river systems
of southern South America.
Female
anacondas give birth to living young.
Scientific
classification: Anacondas belong to the family
Boidae. There are four species, all in the genus Eunectes.
The common anaconda is classified as Eunectes murinus,
and the yellow anaconda as Eunectes notaeus.
"Anaconda
(snake)," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia
2000 http://encarta.msn.com
© 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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