In 1979, the Burmese python first made its way to the Florida Everglades, entering the annals of wildlife history as one of the largest invasive species out there. The state holds an annual event dedicated to the capture of these pythons, which adds a social and competitive component to the process.
The need to capture Burmese pythons doesn’t end when the event does, however, and these snakes can be captured all year round. Earlier this month, two men — Stephen Gauta and Jake Waleri, who have an Instagram account dedicated to their exploits and preservation efforts — caught an especially large python. And, as per The Guardian‘s reporting, it’s now believed to be the largest snake ever captured in the state of Florida.
The duo posted a video of themselves successfully capturing the python on which you can hear several exclamations as to the snake’s size. That is eminently understandable, because this python is 19 feet long. There is a point in which the snake opens its mouth to bite the face of the guy holding it, and its jaws open wider than the head of a fully grown man. It’s absolutely terrifying stuff.
The size of this python has, according to The Guardian, left some scientists concerned that the species is getting bigger. “We had a feeling that these snakes get this big and now we have clear evidence,” Ian Easterling of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida told The Guardian. “Her genetic material may prove valuable for an eventual understanding of the founding population of south Florida.”
Florida Python Bowl Results in Capture of 80 Snakes
Annual event seeks to reduce Burmese python populationAn Instagram post from earlier in the year from Gauta and Waleri declares that “it’s kind of addicting catching Burmese pythons.” It’s also pretty addicting watching the various catches they’ve documented; environmental preservation never looked quite this visceral.
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