Gargantuan Python Discovered in Everglades

University of Florida/Kristen Grace, Florida Museum of Natural History

Weighing in at 164 pounds, the 17.5 foot Burmese python picture above was captured by researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey in the Florida Everglades. 

Dr. Kenneth Krysko, Florida Museum of Natural History's herpetology collection manager, revealed that the python had a girth of nearly a foot. The Gainesville museum accepted the python, allowing UF staff to perform a necropsy for research purposes. During the exam, the team found that the female python had 87 eggs inside.

Yikes! Florida has more Burmese pythons thnt it needs. The snakes rule the Everglades and consume everything they encounter, essentially destroying the natural balance there because no natural predators exist to stop them. People purchase the pythons, and, when they’ve had enough of the care and feeding of such monstrous reptiles, many dump them at the Everglades, creating a huge problem for the ecosystem.

Biologists and researchers including those at USGS and UF are working exhaustively to find a means of limiting the snakes' reign. Many believe that the pythons have caused the vastly dwindling population of native animals, such as raccoons, opossums, and bobcats, and researchers are studying that as well. Ham on Wry suggests that we return the pythons to their environment and let the  government of Myanmarn (formerly Burma) deal with them.