Researchers prepare to examine the insides of a 17-foot-7-inch Burmese python found in Florida's Everglades. The lengthy python, weighing some 164 pounds, was carrying 87 eggs in its oviducts, they found. Photo Adouble record-setting Burmese python has been found in the Florida Everglades.
At 17 feet, 7 inches (5.3 meters) in length, it is the largest snake of
its kind found in the state and it was carrying a record 87 eggs.
Scientists say the finding highlights how dangerously comfortable the
invasive species has become in its new home.
"This thing is monstrous, it's about a foot wide," said Kenneth Krysko,
of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida.
"It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild, there's nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble."
The giant female python was discovered in the Everglades National Park
and had been stored since May in a freezer at the museum; on Friday,
researchers at the museum studied its internal anatomy, making the wild
discovery.
Florida is the world capital for invasive reptiles and amphibians,
and the Burmese python, native to Southeast Asia, is one of the state's
most prominent new residents. The snake was introduced to Florida by
the exotic pet trade three decades ago and is now one of the region's
deadliest and most competitive predators. [See Photos of Record Burmese Python]
"They were here 25 years ago, but in very low numbers and it was
difficult to find one because of their cryptic behavior," Krysko said in
a statement from the University of Florida. "Now, you can go out to the
Everglades nearly any day of the week and find a Burmese python. We've
found 14 in a single day."
Officials worry that the snakes pose a threat to humans, as well as to
native, endangered species, which turn up in the pythons' stomachs. This
record-breaking, 164.5-pound (75-kg) specimen found in Everglades
National Park had feathers in its belly that will be identified by
museum ornithologists, the researchers said. Research published this
year suggested the pythons are not only eating the Everglades' birds but
they're also snatching, and likely swallowing whole birds' eggs.
Population estimates for the Burmese python in Florida range from the
thousands to hundreds of thousands, the researchers said. Studying this
massive female specimen with dozens of babies on board could help
scientists understand how to curb the spread of the python and other
invasive animals.
"By learning what this animal has been eating and its reproductive
status, it will hopefully give us insight into how to potentially manage
other wild Burmese pythons in the future," Krysko said.
Previous state records for Burmese pythons found in the wild were 16.8
feet (5.1 meters) long and 85 eggs, the researchers said.