Listening Transcript.docx

(CNN) -- A major snowstorm slammed the East Coast and snarled the busy holiday travel season Saturday as airports shut down runways, rail service slowed and bus routes were suspended on the last weekend before Christmas. Three deaths in Virginia were blamed on the storm, state officials said. One person was killed late Friday in a single-car crash. Two other deaths were reported Saturday as more heavy snow was expected.

The anaconda is the biggest snake in the world The anaconda is the biggest snake in the world. Also known as the Water Boa, this giant, meat-eater lives in swampy areas of tropical (warm) South America. It spends a lot of time in shallow water, hidden from unsuspecting prey. Anacondas are related to boa constrictors. They give birth to live young; 20 to 40 baby snakes are born at one timeAnacondasAnacondas are among the largest and most powerful snakes in the world

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AnatomyAnatomy: Like all snakes, anacondas are cold-blooded; they are the same temperature as the environment. Anacondas are greenish-brown with a double row of black oval spots on the back and smaller white markings on the sides. Their scally skin glistens but is dry is to the touch. The nostrils are on top of the snout, letting the snake breathe easily when it is in the water. It smells with its tongue.

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Hunting and dietHunting and Diet: Anacondas are carnivores (meat-eaters). They mostly hunt at night (they are nocturnal). Anacondas kill by constricting (squeezing) the prey until it can no longer breathe. Sometimes they drown the prey. Like all snakes, they swallow the prey whole, head first. The anaconda's top and bottom jaws are attached to each other with stretchy ligaments, which let the snake swallow animals wider than itself. Snakes don't chew their food, they digest it with very strong acids in the snake's stomach.

4 HabitatThe anaconda lives in the jungle in South America, in the Guianas, east of the Andes Mountains, and mainly in the Amazon and Orinoco River regions. They like the wet, dense tropical vegetation. They do well in warm, dark, freshwater swamps. They also like to rest in the sun. 5

FoodThe anaconda is a carnivore - it eats meat. Chicken, crocodile, jaguar, caiman, wild pigs, and fish are some animals that they eat. When it hunts, it first lies quietly in the water. When a jaguar or crocodile comes by, the anaconda attacks.

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EnemiesThe anaconda hides from its enemies by going under the water. Its greatest enemies are humans, who kill them out fear and for their skin. People destroying the forest for farming and woodcutting threaten the anaconda's habitat

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