Burmese pythons, an invasive species first identified in Everglades National Park more than two decades ago, are spread over more than a thousand square miles in southern Florida but have been found throughout the state and are gliding north. They might even reach Georgia.
According to the University of Florida, they are among the largest snakes in the world, with adults averaging between 3 and 4 meters in length.
Because pythons are invasive and a threat to native wildlife, Florida Fish and Wildlife works with partners and the public to hunt and kill the snakes, including the annual Florida Python Challenge.
En route: Snakes slither north: where Burmese pythons have been spotted in Florida
Here’s a look at some of the largest, some record-breaking, Burmese pythons caught in Florida:
Longest Burmese python ever captured in Southwest Florida
A group of python hunters captured the longest Burmese python ever recorded on July 10, 2023, in the Big Cypress National Preserve in eastern Collier County.
The monster snake was 6 meters long.
Pythons measuring 18 feet in length captured in South Florida, Everglades
The previous record was held by python hunters Ryan Ausburn and Kevin Pavlidis, who caught a python measuring a whopping 18 feet 9 inches in 2020.
In 2013, Jason Leon captured a then-record 18-foot python in southeastern Miami-Dade County. The enormous snake weighed 128 pounds.
Accredited python hunter Mike Kimmel, alone on a spoil island in the Florida Everglades, caught a 16-foot python in 2020.
Heaviest python caught in Florida
Biologists from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida captured the heaviest Burmese python ever recorded in the Florida Everglades in 2022. The colossal female python weighed a whopping 215 pounds and was almost 18 feet long.
In November 2023, a 198-pound Burmese python was captured in the Big Cypress Preserve, making it the second heaviest ever captured in the Sunshine State. The enormous snake was 17 feet and 2 inches long.
Python hunters pose with huge catches
Python hunters show off snakes caught during the Florida Python Challenge.
Bobcat takes on Python
Alligator vs. python in the Everglades battle
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Pythons in Florida, Everglades: See the largest snakes captured; 1 was 19 feet
