17.7-Foot-Long Burmese Python Found in Florida Everglades Sets State Record

Posted on August 14, 2012

Researchers from the University of Florida captured the largest Burmese python found in Florida to date. Scientists at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus examined the internal anatomy of the snake Friday. The 17-foot-7-inch snake weighed 164 pounds and carried 87 eggs in its oviducts, which is a state record.

Florida Museum herpetology collection manager Kenneth Krysko says, "This thing is monstrous, it's about a foot wide. It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild, there's nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble."

Krysko also said, "A 17.5-foot snake could eat anything it wants."

ANIMALS