MUMBAI: Animal Planet aims to bring viewers closer to the natural world with ?Animal Planet A-Z?. This is a selection of wildlife programmes in which the viewers follow some of the world?s most interesting and sometimes misunderstood creatures. Airing every night at 10 pm, ?Animal Planet A-Z? will showcase one animal per week.

From 21 - 27 January, every night at 10 pm, viewers can learn about the lives and behaviours of deadly predators ?Anacondas? in the ecosystem that they share.

Anaconda, or Water Boa, is a giant water snake that dwells in the marshlands across Central and topical South America. Capable of growing to more than five metres in length and over 100 kilogrammes, the anaconda is a powerful animal, feared by man and beast alike. Lords of the marshes and guardians of the lakes, these elusive snakes are usually the apex predators of their aquatic habitats. However, deep within the Ibera marshes in Northern Argentina, the yellow anacondas must share their kingdom with another group of reptiles: the caimans. With a preference for the same prey, tussles at the top of the food chain are unavoidable - ending, sometimes, with fatal consequences for both reptiles.

Anacondas kill their prey-birds and small reptiles and mammals-by squeezing them until they suffocate, or by drowning them. The female anaconda retains her fertilized eggs in her body until they hatch. Ten to more than 70 young are born at a time. Like most snakes, anacondas are shy. They usually defend themselves from enemies by retreating. If cornered, anacondas will bite. This, along with their great size and weight, can make anacondas dangerous to people.

Kicking off the line-up is, ?In Search Of The Giant Anaconda? which sees the snakemaster Austin Stevens search for the Green Anaconda in the Amazon rainforest. In the following episode ?Anacondas with Nigel Marven? the zoologist goes in search of the world?s most massive snake in the jungles of South America.