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Habitat
All varieties of anaconda are native to South America, where the climate is hot and humid. The anaconda is generally found along the edges of the Amazon and Orinoco basins, where the habitat on land is mainly rainforest. The anaconda spends most of its life in water, such as streams, marshes, swamps and slow moving rivers, although it will come to dry ground to find food if it has to.
Feeding
The constrictor gets its name from the way it kills its prey. To hunt, the anaconda waits in the water for its prey, such as birds, wild pigs, capybara and jaguars. When a prey animal comes to drink and gets within striking distance the anaconda will grab onto the animal with its teeth and wrap its body around the prey. It then proceeds to squeeze or constrict the prey until it dies of asphyxiation. The anaconda then eats the prey in one large gulp, which can take hours. It can also take up to two weeks for the snake to digest a meal, although it can then go for months without eating again.
Adaptations
The anaconda has developed a number of physical adaptations that help it to survive and thrive in its environment. The constrictor's eyes and nostrils are positioned on top of its head, and this enables the snake to submerge itself almost completely below the surface of the water when it is hunting. The anaconda also has stretchy ligaments along the sides of its mouth that allow it to unlock its jaw and open its mouth extremely wide to gulp down a large prey animal.
Reproduction
The female anaconda will attempt to hunt and eat a last large meal before mating. It will then not eat for the entire gestation period, which is between six and seven months long. At the end of the pregnancy the female will come ashore to give birth. The anaconda also retains its eggs and therefore gives birth to live baby snakes. According to the National Geographic one pregnancy will result in between 20 and 40 baby anacondas.