Current:Home > InvestBurmese python weighing 198 pounds is captured in Florida by snake wranglers: Watch-LoTradeCoin
Burmese python weighing 198 pounds is captured in Florida by snake wranglers: Watch
lotradecoin advanced order types View Date:2024-12-25 12:44:16
Snake hunters out on a mission in the Florida Everglades came across a visitor larger than your average garden snake.
The hobbyists posted images of the giant to Instagram last week after going on what they called a "python hunt" during Flordia's recent cold snap. While they expected to encounter some kind of sizeable reptile on their endeavor, they were not expecting to stumble across a real life giant.
In the video taken by the brave snake wranglers, one man can be heard saying "I'm gonna need help" when taking in the sheer size of his opponent, while another man eventually encourages his companions to "let it go," seemingly realizing they have to recalibrate in order to secure the animal.
Weighing just shy of 200 pounds and measuring in at 17-foot-2-inches, the serpentine was named the second heaviest python ever recorded in Florida, according to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
The heaviest python ever caught in Florida was captured in 2022 in the western Everglades and weighed in at 215 pounds and nearly 18 feet long.
Naples Daily News, a part of the USA TODAY network, reported that the python was found in Big Cypress Preserve on a mission led by conservationist Mike Elfenbein, who posted on his Instagram saying: "Officially 17’2” & 198 Pounds. This snake ate a lot of native wildlife to get this big. She ate her last meal! It took five of us to control her, glad to have removed her from our Everglades where she can no longer eat our wildlife."
It was also reported that the remains of a white tail deer were found inside the snack's stomach after it underwent necropsies, a finding that is not uncommon. Because these pythons are invasive to the area, they pose a major risk to local wildlife and the health of Florida's ecosystems. Catching and removing them is therefore an important part of conservation efforts.
Difference between gators and crocs:Alligator vs. crocodile? Not just whether you'll see them 'later' or 'in a while.'
What is a Burmese python?
According to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Insititute, the Burmese python is the largest subspecies of the Indian python and one of the six largest snakes in the world.
The average Burmese python measures in at 16 feet, though they can grow up to 22 feet long in captivity. They generally prey upon mammals, birds and reptiles using a jaw that separates to allow them to consume animals four to five times the size of their own heads. They can live up to 30 years in the wild.
Burmese pythons are originally native to southern China, Burma, Indochina, Thailand and the Malay Archipelago and are attracted to environments with permanent water sources, such as rainforests with streams and swamps. However, they can also survive in a variety of habits including grasslands and rocky foothills.
Meet the biggest snake in the world:What is the biggest snake in the world? Meet the longest and heaviest snakes.
How did Burmese pythons end up in Florida?
Between 1996 to 2006, roughly 99,000 pythons were brought to the U.S. to be sold as pets.
Many of these snakes either escaped or were released by their owners, successfully reproducing to create a population that is now considered invasive in the Florida Everglades. They have few natural predators in the sunshine state, meaning they are able to flourish and disrupt the food supplies of native animals such as racoons, opossums, and bobcats.
Animals they often pray on, including marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits, and foxes, have nearly disappeared from the Everglades since the pythons' introduction.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Hate crime charges dropped against 12 college students arrested in Maryland assault
- Owners of a Colorado funeral home where 190 decaying bodies were found are charged with COVID fraud
- The pilots union at American Airlines says it’s seeing more safety and maintenance issues
- Serena Williams says she'd 'be super-interested' in owning a WNBA team
- 'September 5' depicts shocking day when terrorism arrived at the Olympics
- These businesses are offering Tax Day discounts and freebies
- Los Angeles Sparks WNBA draft picks 2024: Round-by-round selections
- The Rock confirms he isn't done with WWE, has eyes set on WrestleMania 41 in 2025
- Stock market today: Asian shares advance, tracking rally on Wall Street
- Coral bleaching caused by warming oceans reaches alarming globe milestone, scientists say
Ranking
- Luigi Mangione Case: Why McDonald's Employee Who Reported Him Might Not Get $60,000 Reward
- Experts group says abortion in Germany should be decriminalized during pregnancy’s first 12 weeks
- Judge awards $23.5 million to undercover St. Louis officer beaten by colleagues during protest
- Supreme Court allows Idaho to enforce its ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth
- The burial site of the people Andrew Jackson enslaved was lost. The Hermitage says it is found
- Taylor Swift's Stylish Coachella Look Included a $35 Skirt
- Golden Bachelor’s Theresa Nist Responds to “Angry” Fans Over Gerry Turner Divorce
- Paris Hilton backs California bill to bring more transparency to youth treatment facilities
Recommendation
-
Chiquis comes from Latin pop royalty. How the regional Mexican star found her own crown
-
Hochul announces budget outline as lawmakers continue to hash out details
-
Maui Fire Department to release after-action report on deadly Hawaii wildfires
-
Indiana Fever WNBA draft picks 2024: Caitlin Clark goes No.1, round-by-round selections
-
Sabrina Carpenter reveals her own hits made it on her personal Spotify Wrapped list
-
Coral bleaching caused by warming oceans reaches alarming globe milestone, scientists say
-
Paris-bound Olympians look forward to a post-COVID Games with fans in the stands
-
Boeing pushes back on whistleblower’s allegations and details how airframes are put together