Scientists swamped by massive python found in Florida
Most Burmese pythons are between 2 to 3 meters long, and they’re considered to be some of the largest snakes in the world.
Scientists discovered a colossal snake in the Florida Everglades that impasses that standard.
They discovered a female Burmese python that was more than 5-meters long, weighed 140 pounds, and was developing 73 eggs.
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While the Burmese python stems from Asia, the big snakes have become common-place in Florida. The climate and the swamps outside of Miami provide the pythons with the perfect habitat to thrive.
As many as 100,000 pythons are currently living in the Florida Everglades, according to state wildlife officials.
Researchers from the Big Cypress National Reserve posted a photo of the discovery on Facebook. The snake was so massive that it took four people to hold it in its entirety.
Rangers from the Cypress National Reserve say that new research and tracking technology made the discovery possible.
“Using male pythons with radio transmitters allows the team to track the male to locate breeding females. The team not only removes the invasive snakes, but collects data for research, develop new removal tools, and learn how the pythons are using the Preserve,” they wrote in a Facebook post.
While this latest find is impressive, it’s not the biggest python to have been discovered in the Florida Everglades.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the largest one ever found weighed over 100 pounds and was over 6-meters long.
Florida is in the midst of a python problem, with the reptile becoming an ongoing threat to other wildlife in the area.
The state even holds hunting competitions in order to help control the snake population. In 2013, over 1,600 people registered to hunt the snakes as part of the Python Challenge, organized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
