Art Farris, age 8, of McAllen, Texas, for his question:

HOW LONG CAN AN ANACONDA SNAKE GROW?

Anaconda is the name of two large snakes found in tropical South America. They are also called water boas. One kind grows over 30 feet long. But all adult anaconda are more than 20 feet long. No other South American snake approaches this length.

Anaconda kill their prey by wrapping their coils tightly around them to keep them from breathing. The principal foods of anacondas are birds and small mammals.

Like other snakes, anacondas defend themselves from enemies by biting. Their many teeth can inflict deep wounds, but these wounds quickly heal. Only the largest anacondas ever attack large animals.

The snakes have olive green skin, often with many black rings or spots. They live near water, often swimming in rivers. They bear live young.

The anaconda is rivaled in size only by the reticulate python of southeastern Asia and the Philippines.