© 2024 WLRN
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Hunters Kill Record Python In Florida Everglades

Courtesy Florida Fish and Wildlife Coalition

This post was updated Monday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m.

Hunters have captured and killed the longest python on record in Florida. The South Florida Water Management District announced Thursday that hunters Ryan Ausburn and Kevin Pavlidis caught the snake earlier this month about 35 miles west of Miami.

The egg-bearing female snake weighed in at 104 pounds and was 18 feet, 9 inches long.

According to the News-Press, the capture was part of a joint effort between the Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to eliminate the harmful invasive constrictors.

Biologists say Burmese pythons are decimating native species in the Everglades. They also carry a lung-destroying parasite that is spreading to native snake species.

WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
Copyright 2020 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. To see more, visit .

WUSF Staff
More On This Topic