Record-breaking capture: Hunters snag 18-foot, 9-inch Burmese python in Florida Everglades
(Courtesy: FWC)
Python hunters in South Florida made a record-breaking catch.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said their Python Action Team and South Florida Water Management District captured an 18-foot, 9-inch Burmese python in the Florida Everglades.
Hunters Ryan Ausburn and Kevin Pavlidis snagged the snake, which weighed a whopping 104 pounds.
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FWC said the female python is the largest snake ever captured by their hunters.
While this python is the longest snake ever caught in Florida, it's not the heaviest. Back in 2013, hunters captured a female python that weighed 128 pounds and measured 18 feet, 8 inches long.
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"Capturing large adult females is critical because it prevents them from potentially adding an average of 30 to 60 hatchlings to the population each time they breed," FWC said back in 2019.
Environmentalists say the invasive species is responsible for killing deer, alligators and other important wildlife in the area. Their presence is causing lasting damage to the ecosystem.
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