Scientists have caught Florida's biggest Burmese python in Everglades. The python is 17 feet, 7 inches long, and weighs 164.5 pounds and is laden with a record 87 eggs! The previous state record-setting Burmese python was 16.8 feet long and was carrying 85 eggs.
The new record-making Burmese python was found in Everglades National Park, the University of Florida announced on Monday. The fact that the female python is pregnant proves how the dangerous species of Southeast Asia have become comfortable in South Florida, making it its new home, opined the researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
"It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild. There's nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble," said Kenneth Krysko, a snake expert and manager of the herpetology collection at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Researchers have found feathers in the euthanized python's stomach and the museum ornithologists are now working on identifying the types of wildlife the python was eating.
"A 17.5-foot snake could eat anything it wants," Krysko said. "By learning what this animal has been eating and its reproductive status, it will hopefully give us insight into how to potentially manage other wild Burmese pythons in the future."
Three decades ago, the exotic pet trade introduced Florida to this breed of snakes. It is believed that at least tens of thousands Burmese pythons are currently residing in Everglades.
"They were here 25 years ago, but in very low numbers and it was difficult to find one because of their cryptic behavior," Krysko said in a statement. "Now, you can go out to the Everglades nearly any day of the week and find a Burmese python. We've found 14 in a single day."
The deadly snakes not only pose a threat to the native, endangered species but also to humans, believe researchers. A study published early this year clearly stated that the increase of pythons in the Everglades has resulted in a decrease in the population of mammals like opossums, raccoons, and marsh rabbits.
Kristen Hart, a research ecologist for the U.S. Geological Survey said that the discovery of this big female python was done on March 6 when a male "Judas snake" led the team of the researchers to her. The record-breaking female snake was then caught and employed as a "Judas snake" and researchers fitted tiny radio transmitters and GPS devices to reach the primary breeding spots of the South Asian pythons. Hart also said that the snake was caught again on April 19, just before it could lay any eggs.
After the monstrous reptile has been studied thoroughly, it will be displayed at the museum on the University of Florida campus for five years before being returned to the park for display.
