A massive Burmese python carrying 122 eggs was caught in Florida Everglades which is believed to be the largest ever snake recorded in the US state.
A research team captured the Burmese python that weighed 98 kilograms and measured nearly 18 feet in length. The researchers of the Florida conservancy believed that the female serpent is considered to be an invasive one in the US state.
A necropsy revealed the reptile had hoof cores in the digestive tract. It meant its last meal was likely a tailed deer. The examination also revealed the snake was carrying a “record number” of 122 eggs.
“Look at the scale of the problem” – some 18 feet of very dead invasive python – the largest ever removed from Florida, complete with 120 eggs and adult white-tailed deer hooves – at @ConservancySWFL, which is working to remove them from the Everglades. pic.twitter.com/Zm0xHsZqlb
— Amy Bennett Williams (@AmySWFL) June 22, 2022
The python was caught by a team of trackers and wildlife biologists from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
According to reports, the team tried a unique research programme that used radio transmitters implanted in male snakes to track breeding grounds.
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A wildlife biologist Ian Bartoszek and environmental science project manager for the Conservancy told the New York Post, “How do you find the needle in the haystack? You could use a magnet, and in a similar way our male scout snakes are attracted to the biggest females around.”
“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,” he added.
Burmese pythons are one of the largest species of snakes in the world. They are native to a large area of Southeast Asia and are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
According to researchers, Burmese pythons were first brought to Florida as exotic pets but soon increased in population in the Everglades after escaping or being set free by their owners.
According to Field and Stream, their rapid growth in Florida is attributed to 1992’s Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed a Burmese python breeding facility only to release hundreds of snakes into the wild.
