The 185 pound Burmese python caught in Naples could be the heaviest in Florida history

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Naples biologist Ian Bartoszek said it took a lot of sweat and a little blood to catch the two heaviest Burmese pythons in Florida.

On June 10, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida published the largest study on invasive Burmese pythons. The study, which began in 2013, focused on tagging pythons with radio trackers to help biologists understand the animal’s habitat size, movement rates, and habitat selection.

During the study, two of the heaviest pythons were discovered on state records. According to Bartoszek, a record 185-pound female was captured along with a 140-pound male. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has yet to review the record, but the largest female python ever caught in Florida weighed 164.5 pounds.

Bartoszek and his team brought over 1,000 snakes to the Conservancy’s snake laboratory in Naples. Over half were females who can lay an average of 42 eggs per brood cycle.

“This is a tough job and we’ve been tracking these top invasive predators for the past eight years,” said Bartoszek on the Conservancy Southwest Florida website.

The study concluded that continued tracking of pythons in South Florida during the breeding season may help loosen the species’ stranglehold.

Previous studies have shown that Burmese pythons avoid urbanization. This latest study added that in urban areas, the pythons crowd around riverside alongside canals and large farms. The study also found that the snakes inhabit elevated areas.

Given the breeding season and habitats, the study speculated that snake discovery and removal rates of reproductive female pythons may increase.

The Burmese python problem in Florida is believed to result from humans releasing them as unwanted pets, which has resulted in decreased mammal populations and increased competition with endangered Florida panthers for food.

This story originally appeared on Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

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