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A 17-foot-long female python, the largest ever captured at the Big Cypress National Preserve in the Florida Everglades, was taken away by four people. A team of researchers published a breathtaking photo of the snake on the Big Cypress Facebook page,
Big Cypress said the snake had sent a new record for the region.
A HYBRID THREAT OF PYTHON TO EXTEND BEYOND THE FLORIDA SVERGLADES, A STUDY OF THE DNA
The python weighed 140 pounds and contained 73 eggs in development. Rita Garcia, a spokeswoman for Big Cypress Preserve, said the eggs had been destroyed and the snake had been euthanized.
"She is the biggest python ever removed from the Big Cypress National Reserve and was surprised because of research and a new approach to python research," said the reserve. In 2017, a python measuring 17 feet and one inch weighing 132 pounds was captured in the Everglades
Researchers use male pythons carrying radio transmitters to find breeding grounds. Once the females are localized, they are eliminated with the idea of ​​controlling invasive species. Pythons come from Southeast Asia, Africa, Central America and South America.
National park services define invasive species as "having the ability to grow and spread aggressively outside their natural range". Burmese pythons were introduced to Florida through escaped or released pets. They are now present in the Everglades and feed on native wildlife. Some pythons grow up to 20 feet long.
In addition to removing Big Cypress pythons, researchers are learning how snakes use the area.
THE AUTHORITIES OF FLORIDA EXAMINE THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EMERGING SUPER SNAKE IN THE WORLD
"The resource management staff would like to thank all the Preserve divisions that supported the python program," Big Cypress said in a statement. "Their support, along with the tireless efforts of our partners in the US Geological Survey (USGS), has allowed us to locate and delete several female breeding pythons in recent months."
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