The largest Burmese python ever seen in Florida, USA, was lured out of its hiding spot in the Everglades by researchers using another python as bait, National Geographic reports.
This is a female python, measuring 5.4 meters long and weighing 97 kilograms, which is over 13.6 kilograms heavier than the largest python previously found in the state. Most Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) found in Florida range from 1.8 to 3 meters in length, although in their native habitat in Southeast Asia, they can typically reach lengths of up to 5.4 meters and can exceed 6 meters, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Three people can barely carry this giant python
Since its introduction to Florida in the 1970s, this invasive python species has successfully reproduced in the southern regions of the state, where they prey on native birds and mammals, as well as alligators and pets.
Although larger than most native python species in Florida, Burmese pythons are extremely difficult to detect in the vast swamps, forests, and subtropical woodlands of the Everglades and surrounding areas.
In an effort to mitigate these invasive populations by luring breeding females out of their hiding spots, python trackers at the Southwest Florida Conservation, a Naples-based organization, implanted GPS tracking devices in male pythons and then released these “scout snakes” into the wild, according to National Geographic.
Sarah Funck, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, stated: “Breeding female pythons need to be removed from these ecosystems” because they can produce disproportionately large numbers of offspring.
Researcher Ian Bartoszek screened dozens of proto eggs while performing an autopsy on the largest Burmese python ever discovered in Florida. The research team counted 122 eggs, setting a record. Additionally, in the digestive tract of this python, researchers found fur remnants, bone fragments, and a piece of hoof, evidence that this python’s last meal was an adult white-tailed deer.
Scientists estimate that Burmese pythons prey on approximately 24 species of mammals, 47 species of birds, and two species of reptiles in Florida, according to National Geographic.
