Florida Officials Catch Second 18-Foot Python

Florida Officials Catch Second 18-Foot Python

One of the largest Burmese pythons ever found in the Sunshine State was captured by the Florida officials. The female snake was about 18-feet-long weighing 150 pounds.

It was found five miles north of the Tamiami Trail by an employee of South Florida Water Management District and was shot on Tuesday, February 4, in the Everglades. The dead body of the snake has been handed over to the University of Florida for a post-mortem examination.

Randy Smith, a spokesperson for the South Florida Water Management District, said the python could be the biggest Burmese python ever spotted on state-owned lands. Smith said, "They're ambush hunters, and they like to hide down at the toe of the levee where there's plenty of bush and foliage".

Also, it is considered that the snake is just about eight inches shorter than the largest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, which was 18 feet 8 inches in length.

Burmese pythons are one of the biggest species of snakes on the Earth, said the National park Service. These species are now famous for breeding in Everglades National park and their number is growing throughout South Florida, which are nearly 150,000.

Burmese pythons mainly feed on indigenous species, which is a matter of concern for experts as their diet could alter the ecosystem. Since 2002, over 18,000 pythons have been taken out of the park and its nearby areas. However, the figure is just a small fraction as these snakes are present in very large numbers.

The necropsy (animal autopsy) is quite helpful as it could tell what the snake was eating before its death and whether it was pregnant or not.

When the researchers analyzed a previous record-setting female Burmese python, which was 17 feet 7 inches in length, they found that it was carrying 87 eggs inside.

As per the viewpoint of officials, pet owners could be blamed for the increasing population of pythons because they started using the wetlands as 'dumping ground'.

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