Anaconda

Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), a gigantic constricting snake from South America, of aquatic habits, whence it is also called the water-serpent. It is found in the rivers and swamps of Guiana and Brazil, and preys chiefly on birds and small mammals. The anaconda is ovoviviparous - that is, the eggs are hatched within the body of the female - and there are distinct traces of hind-limbs. It sometimes attains a length of thirty feet; colour rich brown, with two rows of large round black spots along the back, and a series of light golden-yellow rings edged with black on each side.