Massive Burmese Python Found in Florida is Largest in State's History
A 17-foot, 7-inch Burmese python found and euthanized last week in the Everglades is believed to be the largest ever caught in Florida.
Weighing over 164 pounds, the snake was also pregnant with 87 eggs.
Burmese pythons are a big problem in Florida's warm and humid south, where tens of thousands are believed to reside. Native to south-east Asia, the snakes were originally kept as pets before being released by their owners into the wild. Many also fled pet shops during 1992's Hurricane Andrew.
Since then, they have wreaked havoc on other local wildlife populations, and efforts to curb the problem have been fruitless.
"There's nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble," said snake expert Kenneth Krysko of the Florida Museum of Natural History, where the record-setting Burmese python is being studied. "A 17-ft snake could eat anything it wants."
