Florida's Heaviest Burmese Python

by Amare Smith, age 18

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida captured the heaviest Burmese python ever found in the state! The python was 215 pounds and measured 18 feet long.

Biologists found the python by putting a tracker on a male that eventually led them to the female pythons. With the tracker on the male python, the biologists were able to monitor their location. The female snake that was found had 122 eggs and a digested deer in its stomach.

Burmese pythons are predators causing harm to the ecosystem of the everglades and stealing other animals’ food. Ian Bartoszek, an environmental science project manager said, “The removal of female pythons plays a critical role in disturbing the breeding cycle of these apex predators.”

As pets, Ppythons were taken from Southeast Asia to the United States. Sometime in 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit Florida, which caused the close breeding facility to get destroyed and release plenty of snakes into swamps. After 30 years, the population of the snakes is still increasing.

Environmentalists want to decrease python populations to prevent them food shortages for other species. In addition, the pythons won’t cause any more damage to the Everglades ecosystem.

[Source: dogonews.com]