It is the largest snake native to the Americas.Īlthough it is slightly shorter than the Reticulated python, it is far more robust: the bulk of a 4.5 meters green anaconda would be comparable to a 7.4 meters reticulated python (on average, the record holder Medusa above is an exception).

Weights are less well studied, though they will reportedly range from 30 to 70 kg (66 to 154 lb) in an average-range adult. More typical mature specimens reportedly can range up to 5 meters (16.4 feet), with the females, at around a mean length of 4.6 meters (15.1 feet), being generally much larger in adulthood than the male, which averages around 3 m (9.8 ft). Its Latin name is derived from the Greek ευνήκτης meaning “good swimmer” and the Latin murinus meaning “of mice” for being thought to prey on mice.Ī member of the boa family, the green anaconda can reach 5.21 meters (17.1 feet) long. It is also the second-longest (behind its cousin, the reticulated python)

Photo by Dave Lonsdale – Anaconda, CC BY 2.0, LinkĮunectes murinus (green anaconda) is the largest, heaviest snake species. The heaviest snake in the world: Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus)Ī Green Anaconda. Despite this, Python reticulatus has been responsible for several human fatalities, in both the wild and captivity. Although large specimens are powerful enough to kill an adult human, attacks are only occasionally reported. Like all pythons, they are normally not considered dangerous to humans. The specific name, reticulatus, is Latin meaning “net-like”, or reticulated, and is a reference to the complex color pattern. It is a great swimmer, has been reported far out at sea, and has colonized many small islands within its range. Adults can grow to 6.95 m (22.8 ft) in length (so Medusa is an exceptionally long specimen) but normally grow to an average of 3-6 meters (9.8-19.7 feet).

The longest snake in captivity, Medusa is a Python reticulatus, also known as the (Asiatic) reticulated python, a species of python found in Southeast Asia. Photo: Richard Bradbury/Guinness World Records. Fluffy died on October 27, 010, at 18 years of age. Fluffy, the reticulated python: the previous Guinness world record holder of the Largest Snake in Captivity with 24 feet (7.3 m).

What is largest anaconda ever found