The Conservancy of Southwest Florida announced a 215-pound Burmese python was caught in Everglades National Park. The large reptile measured 18 feet long, the heaviest ever to be caught in the state. The previous record holder weighed 185 pounds and was caught in Naples, Florida.
When the python was caught she was carrying 122 eggs, the largest number of eggs found in a snake caught during the breeding cycle. An adult white-tailed deer’s remains were found in its stomach. White tailed deer are a main food source for the critically endangered panthers that inhabit the Everglades.
“The removal of female pythons plays a critical role in disrupting the breeding cycle of these apex predators that are wreaking havoc on the Everglades ecosystem and taking food sources from other native species,” said Ian Bartoszek, the Conservancy’s environmental science project manager.” This is the wildlife issue of our time for Southern Florida.”
Researchers tracked a male python named Dionysus, who led them to the massive reptile. Male pythons are attracted to the largest female pythons, hence why Dionysus was visiting the colossal snake.
Dionysus visited the same spot several times in a week, leading researchers to suspect there was a female python in the area. Their suspicions proved correct when they found the enormous python.
Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia, they were originally brought to the United States as exotic pets. A nearby breeding facility filled with these exotic creatures was destroyed when Hurricane Andrew broke the facility, releasing the snakes into the national park.
These reptiles have an astounding ability to reproduce, reproducing faster than officials were able to catch them. Instead, Florida officials rely on python “scouts” like Dionysus and snake-sniffing dogs to track down these invasive reptiles. Officials also created something called the Python Challenge, a two-week competition encouraging people to catch pythons, with prize money as a reward. In 2021, over 200 pythons were caught in the competition.
When the python was caught she was carrying 122 eggs, the largest number of eggs found in a snake caught during the breeding cycle. An adult white-tailed deer’s remains were found in its stomach. White tailed deer are a main food source for the critically endangered panthers that inhabit the Everglades.
“The removal of female pythons plays a critical role in disrupting the breeding cycle of these apex predators that are wreaking havoc on the Everglades ecosystem and taking food sources from other native species,” said Ian Bartoszek, the Conservancy’s environmental science project manager.” This is the wildlife issue of our time for Southern Florida.”
Researchers tracked a male python named Dionysus, who led them to the massive reptile. Male pythons are attracted to the largest female pythons, hence why Dionysus was visiting the colossal snake.
Dionysus visited the same spot several times in a week, leading researchers to suspect there was a female python in the area. Their suspicions proved correct when they found the enormous python.
Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia, they were originally brought to the United States as exotic pets. A nearby breeding facility filled with these exotic creatures was destroyed when Hurricane Andrew broke the facility, releasing the snakes into the national park.
These reptiles have an astounding ability to reproduce, reproducing faster than officials were able to catch them. Instead, Florida officials rely on python “scouts” like Dionysus and snake-sniffing dogs to track down these invasive reptiles. Officials also created something called the Python Challenge, a two-week competition encouraging people to catch pythons, with prize money as a reward. In 2021, over 200 pythons were caught in the competition.
