Huge Python Caught In Florida Everglades

A record breaking Burmese python was captured by researchers from the University of Florida at the Everglades National Park in South Florida.

According to the Huffington Post, the huge snake measured in at 17 feet and 7 inches long and weighed 164 pounds, making it the largest Burmese python ever caught in the United States.

The huge python was also carrying a record-breaking 87 eggs inside her.

These invasive snakes are a huge problem in South Florida because they are destroying populations of native animals like the bobcat.

A large number of exotic snakes are believed to have been released into the wild following Hurricane Andrew in the early 90′s when an exotic snake warehouse was destroyed. Since then, irresponsible pet owners are also being blamed because they buy these snakes as a pet and release them later on when they can no longer care for them.

Two years ago, South Florida suffered a severe cold snap, causing a large number of invasive species, like snakes and lizards, to die. Unfortunately, many of these invasive species are evolving, which means they may be learning how to live and thrive in their new environments.

To combat this resiliency, teams of snake hunters have been organized to track down these snakes and remove them from the wild.

The Discovery Channel even developed an entire series about this problem called Swamp Wars, which airs on Animal Planet Sunday nights at 9PM.

Although there are a a lot of people working tirelessly to remove these animals from the Everglades, they may never be successful. Each snake can produce 50-100 eggs each breeding season. That’s a lot of snakes!

Learn more about Burmese pythons in South Florida, visit Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Researchers examine the huge record-breaking Burmese python captured in South Florida

This Burmese python had a recording-breaking number of eggs inside her

Burmese pythons are not native to South Florida and are wrecking havoc on the environment