• Tweet

Picture taken from www.usatoday.com

RELATED ARTICLES

• German pensioner finds python in toilet
• Snake charmers urged to use fakes
• Snake found wrapped around baby in his cot
• Police probe 'killer' python in urban Japan
• Snake dies from baby bite
• Snakes Alive! Scary tax protest
• Man nabbed with snakes in his pants
• Family's pet snake kills child
• Invasive pythons wiping out native Everglades animals

The biggest Burmese python ever caught in Florida - 17 feet, 7 inches (5.18 meters) long and 164½ pounds (74.4 kilograms) - was found in Everglades National Park, the University of Florida announced.

The snake was pregnant with 87 eggs, also said to be a record. Scientists said the python's stats show just how pervasive the invasive snakes, which are native to Southeast Asia, have become in South Florida.

"It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild," said Kenneth Krysko, a snake expert at the Florida Museum of Natural History, where the euthanized snake was brought. "'There's nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble."

The python had feathers in its stomach that scientists plan to use to identify the types of wildlife it was eating.

"A 17½-foot snake could eat anything it wants," Krysko said.

Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons are believed to be living in the Everglades, where they thrive in the warm, humid climate. While many were apparently released by their owners, others may have escaped from pet shops during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and have been reproducing ever since.

The snakes kill their prey by coiling around it and suffocating it. They have been known to swallow animals as large as deer and alligators.

Authorities have taken repeated steps to try and reduce the python problem, banning their importation and allowing them to be hunted. But those efforts have done little to reduce the population.

In and around Everglades National Park alone, some 1,825 Burmese pythons were found between 2000 and 2011.

Rob Robins, a biologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said the snakes are very hard to catch, and that since they have established themselves in the Everglades, they will be virtually impossible to eradicate.

"I think you're going to see more and more big snakes like this caught," he said.

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Mon May 20 14:02:02 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 14, 2012

Mrazane

They can send the skin over for nice shoes and accessories!
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

somaartakeit

they should send this python down to SA to help us fight crime, we wld use criminals as a feed. I have no doubt the python will effectively deal with criminals at no cost to the state at all. Afterwards we would need to feed all corrupt gov ministers to the python, God if ONLY dreams could come true....
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Nice1

somaartakeit wabora waitse.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

PAPABRAVO

no a bad idea somaar,i think there should be an island where we take all murderers and rapists....Amazon like where these pythons feed on flesh.That should make people think twice.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

MOTHUBANNYO

75777936
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

somaartakeit

@Nice1
somaartakeit wabora waitse.
-----------------------------
I am always happy to bore all corruption kissers who are bored when unacceptable corruption issues are raised cause those who are corrupt has same skin color and prolly coming from same tribes as them, do you see the reason why most black run countries are not a success, majority blacks support corrupt that is why majority blacks in SA voted zuma and were even willing to die for someone who had 783 corruption charges hanging over his head,
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

1andonlybucs

send that thing to the amazon jungle were the cuzins bo anacondas and bo boas are waiting for it!!!
Report Abuse

Aug 15, 2012

Nice1

somaartakeit
@Nice1
somaartakeit wabora waitse.
-----------------------------
I am always happy to bore all corruption kissers who are bored when unacceptable corruption issues are raised cause those who are corrupt has same skin color and prolly coming from same tribes as them, do you see the reason why most black run countries are not a success, majority blacks support corrupt that is why majority blacks in SA voted zuma and were even willing to die for someone who had 783 corruption charges hanging over his head
___________________________________________________________________________________
Dude honestly, do we have to bring politics, corruption or race in every topic.
Not relevant sorry.
Report Abuse

Aug 15, 2012

vandermoerjou

BLIXEM!!!!.Poor creatures will now be in danger of illegal hunting by the Xi-Long's and Lin-Hong's.
Report Abuse

Read all 9 comments