17-foot python with 73 eggs is said to be the largest python ever removed from the Big Cypress National Reserve |

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weighed 140 pounds

The largest python ever removed from the Big Cypress National Reserve has recently been captured and is over 17 feet long, weighs 140 pounds and contains 73 eggs in development. (FWC image)

FLORIDA – The largest python ever removed from the Big Cypress National Reserve has recently been captured and is over 17 feet long, weighs 140 pounds and contains 73 eggs in development.

The female python was caught because of research and a new approach to find pythons.

The use of male pythons with radio transmitters allows the team to track the male to locate females in the breeding phase. The team not only removes invasive snakes, but collects data for research purposes, develops new removal tools, and learns how pythons use the pool.

The team found one of the sentinels with the transmitter and discovered this huge female nearby.

All the python work at Big Cypress is focused on controlling this invasive species, which poses a significant threat to native wildlife.

Resource Management staff would like to thank all the Preserve Divisions who supported the Python Program. Their support, as well as the tireless efforts of our partners in the US Geological Survey (USGS), have allowed us to locate and remove several female breeding pythons in recent months.

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