Difference between Python and Anaconda

Python and anaconda both are the largest, heaviest and most dangerous snakes in the world. Although they belong to different families of the snake, they share many features and often look alike. People often confuse python with anaconda. Let us study these giant snakes more closely to better understand how they differ from each other!

Python:

Python is a non-venomous snake that belongs to the family, Pythonidae. It is mostly found in Asia, Africa and Australia. At present, there are 31 recognized species of python, out of which the reticulated python is the longest snake or reptile in the world.

Pythons generally inhabit grasslands, rocky foothills, rainforests, and savannas. They are mostly carnivorous as they generally feed on birds, mammals like monkeys, antelopes, frogs, deer etc. They are constrictors as they wrap their body around their prey and squeeze until the prey stops breathing and die. After killing the prey, they swallow it in one piece.

Pythons are excellent swimmers and have heat-sensing organs that allow them to see in the dark and thus to locate their prey. They are cold-blooded animals so cannot regulate their body temperature on their own and often increase their body temperature through sunbathing whey they are cold. They can measure up to 30 feet in length and weigh around 260 to 300 pounds and can live up to 40 years in captivity. The female python lays around 12 to 36 eggs.

Anaconda:

Anaconda is one of the heaviest and largest snakes in the world that belongs to the family, Boidae. It is a semi-aquatic snake that is mostly found in tropical South America and generally lives in rivers, swamps and marshes. Anacondas are stocky, muscular snakes often thicker than boas. Their nostrils and eyes are located on the top of their head that allows them to see its prey when submerged in water.

An anaconda is a non-venomous snake that measures around 25 feet in length, weighs around 550 pounds and can live upto 30 years in captivity. They are excellent swimmers and nocturnal snakes. They hunt at night and their prey generally includes fishes, turtles, pigs, caimans, jaguars, deer etc. They kill their prey by biting and drowning them in water and then swallow the prey in one piece. The female anaconda gives birth to young ones, around 20-35 at a time.

Based on the above information, some of the key differences between python and anaconda are as follows:

Python	Anaconda
It is mostly found in Asia, Africa and Australia.	It is generally found in tropical South America.
It belongs to the family, Pythonidae.	It belongs to the family, Boidae.
The female python lays eggs, around 12 to 36.	The female anaconda does not lay eggs. It directly gives birth to young ones, around 20-35 at a time.
They can measure up to 33 feet in length, i.e. they are the longest snakes in the world.	They can measure up to 20 feet in length.
An average python weighs around 300 pounds.	An average anaconda weighs around 550 pounds.
They kill their prey by wrapping their body around their prey and then squeezing until the prey stops breathing and die. After killing they swallow the prey in one piece.	They kill their prey by biting and drowning them in water and then swallow them in one piece.