The jungles of the world are home to several species that can gobble up a human, and the idea of a massive, legless man-eater has haunted the human psyche for millennia. So if you’ve ever had nightmares about being swallowed by a snake, you’re not alone. It’s the venomous snakes and the giant, bone-crushing constrictors that tend to freak people out. From black rat snakes in the garden to rattlers out West, they’re simply a part of many healthy ecosystems.
A green anaconda wraps around an underwater tree branch in Brazil's Rio Formoso.
