Everglades National Park spokeswoman Linda Friar confirmed that the latest large snake was humanely euthanized.
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National Park Service officials say they captured a Burmese python over 18 feet long along a popular wildlife-watching trail in Everglades National Park. It was found along a tram road.
That makes this snake the second largest python ever caught in the state of Florida and US Geological Survey officials said snakes of that size are capable of ingesting prey like small deer and alligators.
The snake measures more than 18 feet long. The largest snakes to have been captured in the Everglades have been over 18 feet long and have weighed more than 150 pounds.
According to park officials, the snake was removed from the wild to protect the diverse wildlife in Everglades National Park.
UF Croc Docs Wildlife Biologist Ed Metzger and Biological Intern Sky Button recently removed one of the largest Burmese Pythons ever captured in Florida. It’s considered an invasive species… one that began emerging in Florida decades ago due in large part to the worldwide pet trade. Researchers conducted a necropsy on the reptile and found that it was a female but had not reproduced this season, according to CBS News.
However, Florida prohibits possession or sale of the pythons for use as pets.
Pythons are not native to Florida, where scientists say the snakes are devouring native wildlife.
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“Jason Leon’s nighttime sighting and capture of a Burmese python of more than 18-feet in length is a notable accomplishment that set a Florida record.”
