It’s still hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that there are Burmese pythons in Florida that can grow up to 15 feet long or more.
Seriously, these snakes are mammoths, and as a strong hater of snakes, I’d probably pass out if I saw one of these creatures slither in front of me.
Unfortunately for Floridians, the Burmese python is one of the biggest invasive species in the state, so seeing these things around is far too common in the Everglades.
So, how do you get rid of this issue?
You have hunters go out and bag every Burmese python they possibly can.
And recently, a few snake hunters bagged the longest Burmese python the state of Florida has ever seen.
A press release sent out by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida (CSWF), which is the group that recorded the snake’s weight and measurements, officially measured the female python at a mind boggling 19-feet long.
It’s the longest python ever documented in south Florida, as the previous record was set at 18 feet, 10 inches.
22-year-old Jake Waleri of Naples was credited with finding the massive snake inside of Big Cypress National Preserve.
Waleri said:
“We brought the snake to the Conservancy to be officially measured and documented. We wanted to donate this find to science. It’s awesome to be able to make an impact on South Florida’s environment. We love this ecosystem and try to preserve it as much as possible.”
CSFW biologist Ian Easterling said in the press release:
“We had a feeling that these snakes get this big and now we have clear evidence. Her genetic material may prove valuable for an eventual understanding of the founding population of South Florida.
We will be collecting measurements and samples that will be distributed to our research collaborators.”
Although the python is the longest in Florida history, it isn’t the heaviest. It weighed in at 125-pounds, and the record for heaviest Burmese python in the state of Florida sits at 215-pounds.
What a monster.
