Biologists from Naples catch the largest female Burmese python documented in Florida.

COLLIER COUNTY, Florida – Collier County has removed enough invasive Burmese pythons to weigh 20,000 pounds.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has been tracking the invasive creature’s movements since 2013. Your team of biologists and volunteers has now published the largest study of its kind.

“Now we have a top invasive predator that is seriously disrupting the ecosystem,” said Ian Bartoszek, environmental science project manager and wildlife biologist for the reserve.

Bartoszek calls Burmese pythons an unfortunate product of the pet trade. He said at one point the animal either escaped or was released into the wild. Since then, Burmese pythons have stolen food and space from the critically endangered Florida panther, among others.

“Our study area is right here on the outskirts. We’re not deep in the Everglades, ”he said.

Bartoszek’s team tagged 80 pythons with radio trackers and decided to focus on 25 of them. Over time, they documented the animal’s movements to aid other removal efforts in the future.

Over 1,000 snakes have been removed and returned to the Conservancy’s snake laboratory in Naples. Most of them were female.

A female python can have an average of 42 eggs at a time.

“We kill 120 pound snakes from a mile out in the woods and bring them back to our truck. It’s a team effort, ”said Bartoszek.

His team caught the largest Burmese python documented in Florida, weighing 185 pounds. They also caught the heaviest male ever documented in the wild at 140 pounds.

“… a lot of sweat, a little blood to chase these animals,” explained Bartoszek.

For the full research article click HERE.

See similar https://abc-7.com/news/environment/2021/06/23/naples-biologists-capture-largest-female-burmese-python-documented-in-fl/

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