Inside the Giant Snake: teacher key

Green Anacondas, grade 8 edition, written for 8th grade. How big is a green anaconda, and how does it live? A scientist began studying it in 1992, and here is what is known.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. Why did Rivas work in the Venezuelan llanos?
   • The strong dry season makes the snakes easier to find (answer)
   • It has no snakes
   • It is cold there
2. Which senses are stronger than an anaconda's sight and hearing?
   • Taste and touch only
   • Smell, heat and vibration (answer)
   • None of them
3. What does the species name murinus mean in Latin?
   • Good swimmer
   • Big river
   • Mouse gray (answer)
4. In the dry season, why might many anacondas be found around a few mud holes?
   • They must find water or bury themselves in the mud (answer)
   • They are playing
   • They are building nests
5. What does digestion mean?
   • Swimming fast
   • Breaking down food (answer)
   • Sleeping in the sun

Words

• llanos: grassy plains
• solitary: living alone
• digestion: breaking down food
• murinus: mouse gray