When it comes to reptiles, they don’t get much bigger – a trapper in Florida caught a 17-foot Burmese python in the Everglades earlier this month.
According to a news release by the South Florida Water Management District, trapper Kyle Penniston was hunting in Miami-Dade County when he caught the massive python on November 19, The Virginian Pilot reported.
Official sources listed the snake’s weight at 120 pounds. It is also the third snake of its size caught in the Python Elimination Program that has been removing the snakes from the Everglades. So far, 1,869 snakes have been eradicated from the area, with Penniston ranking in second place with 235 snakes caught, behind Brian Hargrove, who as caught 257.
Experts say Burmese pythons have no predators in the Everglades, which has allowed them to lay waste to the native wildlife.
Burmese pythons are thought to be in Florida due to the exotic pet trade, as the snakes are native to Asia. Although pythons are non-venomous and are often kept as pets, their enormous growth can often make it difficult for owners to care for them properly.