Question

Anaconda, one of the largest snakes in the world is found in _____.
A. Lowland Forests
B. Tropical Rainforests
C. Coniferous Forests
D. None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Anaconda is a group of extremely huge and heavy snakes. They thrive very well in hot, humid places with dense foliage.

Complete answer:
Anaconda is a group of extremely huge and heavy snakes. The anaconda is found in the tropical rainforests of the Amazon and the Orinoco river basins (both in South America). They prefer living in swamps and marshy lands, which are typical of the tropical rainforest. They have a huge and heavy body which makes their movement somewhat cumbersome on land. But in water their locomotion is very different. They move stealthily and sleekly in the rivers and with their nose and eyes on top of their head, they can easily stay submerged under water and keep an eye on their prey.
Since these snakes are very active in water, they are categorized under the genus Eunectes which means ‘great swimmers’. They thrive very well in hot, humid places with dense foliage, hence they live in ‘Tropical Rainforests’. They even bask in the sun near the rivers or on branches from where they can easily jump into the water. They are solitary animals and they get very active during the evening and the night.
Anacondas are constrictors, meaning, they coil around their prey and constrict it until their prey dies. The anaconda then swallows the organism as a whole. It may take hours for an anaconda to completely swallow its prey, and it takes a few days or weeks to digest the food completely. On an average the anaconda feeds roughly weekly.

Option (A) Lowland forest: This option is incorrect. These are forests that grow on flat lands and have an elevation less than 1000m above sea level. They may be tropical or temperate, deciduous or rainforest. Thus, anacondas may or may not be found in these forests.

Option (C) Coniferous forest. This option is incorrect. These are forests of cone bearing trees with needle-like or scale-like leaves. They are found in cold and dry climates, which is the exact opposite of what an anaconda needs. Hence anacondas are not found here.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B)

Note: The largest snake in this group and also in the world is the green anaconda. By ‘largest’ it means that the snake is thick, heavy and has enormous strength. However, the longest snake is the reticulated python.