There’s Now Video of Scientists Wrestling That Record-Breaking Python Caught in Florida
- Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:02am by
Liz Klimas
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When you think of scientists working for the U.S. Geological Survey, you might picture them studying things like seismology graphs but that’s not all the department does. A recent video posted by USGS shows a team wrestling to control a giant python.
The snake in the video, according to the University of Florida’s press release issued Monday, set not only a state record for its size of 17 feet 7 inches but also the 87 eggs it had. According to the university’s website, the dead animal was brought to the Florida Museum from the Everglades National Park as part of a project through the USGS to study the increasingly invasive Burmese python species in the state.
Before the snake could be studied by the university though, it had to be captured and killed. The video (via io9) shows three adult men from USGS controlling the python and one saying even with all his muscle “she’s still stronger than me.”
(Image: USGS/YouTube screenshot)
(Image: USGS/YouTube screenshot)
(Image: USGS/YouTube screenshot)
Watch the B-roll provided by the department for yourself to see the snake while it’s still alive (active footage starts around 0:55):
Florida Museum herpetology collection manager Kenneth Krysko said in a university statement the python brought in for research was healthy and well-fed. In its stomach feathers were found, but they’re also known to feed on bobcats, deer and other large animals. Here’s more from Krysko on the snake:
“This thing is monstrous, it’s about a foot wide,” [...] Krysko [said]. “It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild, there’s nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble.”
[...]
“A 17.5-foot snake could eat anything it wants,” Krysko said. “By learning what this animal has been eating and its reproductive status, it will hopefully give us insight into how to potentially manage other wild Burmese pythons in the future. It also highlights the actual problem, which is invasive species.”
In this Aug. 10, 2012 photo provided by the University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History researchers, from left, Rebecca Reichart, Leroy Nunez, Nicholas Coutu, Claudia Grant and Kenneth Krysko examine the internal anatomy of the largest Burmese python found in Florida to date, on the University of Florida campus. (Photo: AP//University of Florida, Kristen Grace)
Watch this report from the Florida Museum of Natural History:
Scientists said the python’s stats show just how pervasive the invasive snakes, which are native to Southeast Asia, have become in South Florida.
Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons are believed to be living in the Everglades, where they thrive in the warm, humid climate. While many were apparently released by their owners, others may have escaped from pet shops during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and have been reproducing ever since.
Rob Robins, a biologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said the snakes are very hard to catch, and that since they have established themselves in the Everglades, they will be virtually impossible to eradicate.
“I think you’re going to see more and more big snakes like this caught,” he said.
Kenneth Krysko displays eggs found in the python. (Photo: AP//University of Florida, Kristen Grace)
According to the university, the previous records for Burmese pythons captured in the wild in the state was 16.8 feet and 85 eggs.
Read more about the snake’s research here.
Related:
– Are Pet Pythons Destroying the Florida Everglades Ecosystem?
– 21-Foot Python Found Next to Japanese Man’s Dead Body But Did It Kill Him?
– Watch Animal Control Struggle to Remove 13-Foot Burmese Python From Florida Family’s Pool
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Comments (82)
Dano.50
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 2:41pmI don’t think people realize how dangerous big snakes are.
Snake handlers said they‘d much rather get bitten by a poisonous snake as you’ve usually got several hours to get help.
With a constrictor big enough to take a human, especially a child, you’ve only got that few minutes it takes to suffocate.
Report Post »FatFreedom
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 3:08pmWith 10 people all of which are probably paid by tax payer, they should be relative safe.. But because they probably are paid by the tax payer and are federal employees, and it is a dangerous job they probably only have to work for 20 years and get a $150k pension…
Report Post »dmerwin
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 10:57pmJim? Marlin?
Report Post »pdw
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:49pmThis is what happens when people think they need snakes for pets but let them go when they get too large to care for anymore.
Report Post »MCDAVE
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 12:52amThese guys maybe needed to remove another overgrown serpent from our white house in Nov.
Report Post »sillyfreshness
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 3:10amI’m actually surprised they killed it. I would have thought they would have taken it to a zoo and advertised it as the largest in Florida. Also, I can see why the snake was fighting them. Look how it ended up (dead). I’d fight too.
Report Post »TheHalfrican
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 8:35amvenomous, is the proper term. If a venomous snake bites you the doctors will inject you with anti-venom not anti-poison.
Report Post »USA5
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 12:45amAND how many snakes are out there. Dumb solution taking this snake to a zoo…when there is an exploding population in Florida. And what would a zoo do with 87 more huge snakes?
Report Post »sillyfreshness
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 2:15amYou don’t think having the largest snake in the state would make it worthy of having it in a zoo? I know there are snake sanctuaries in Florida too. It’s not just any snake, but the largest ever discovered in that state. Trust me, it would have drawn tourists. Not dumb thank you very much.
Report Post »blair152
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 2:24pmAll the more reason to ban the sale, importation, and ownership, of these dangerous snakes.
Report Post »kindling
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 2:44pmTo late!
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 3:10pmOpen Season & Bounties… are more in Order!
Report Post »BuzzardSays
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 5:12pmCan I say just one thing…The skin would make for a great boot and belt ensemble for plenty of people who dig on that type of fashion. Unleash the hunters to go kill these things and viola the population would dwindle to bupkiss and the children of Florida would return to relative safety.
But, until then keep yourselve armed with a 38 caliber sporting buckshot.
Report Post »db321
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 10:25pmYou all are wasting your time on Romney. Ron Paul is the only one that can make all the snakes in America friendly. Paul know the Snake Constitution better than anyone.
Report Post »TROONORTH
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 9:16amJust wait until some bone-head dumps his Paraná into the everglades, if it hasn’t happened already.
Report Post »BilliamAZ
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 2:13pmDid you see that? Obama supports are snake killers!
Report Post »TAXEVERYONE
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:21pmAnd the snake eats dog also.
Report Post »djmaine
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 1:44pmDid you notice all the people getting a pay check around that snake. Tax dollars, grants, University tuition. At least they are doing really important work:)
Report Post »Ted Zeppelin
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 1:12pmIt‘s a good thing the snake wasn’t hungry or there would be fewer USGS employees.
Report Post »warhorse_03826
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 1:05pmCO2 fire extinguisher would have slowed her down quite a bit……..
Report Post »NLN
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 6:58pmA 12 ga would even be faster.
Report Post »Booty_malone
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 12:37pmFlorida should have a 365 days a year open season with no license required on these snakes. They are invasive and a big problem. I might even go shoot a few myself.
Report Post »siobhan3270
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 12:08pmHow sad that she had to be killed. Couldn’t she have been re-homed to Burma? Such an amazing creature. I agree they don’t belong here, but what a shame to destroy such a magnificent animal.
Report Post »Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 12:28pmKeep your giant man eating freak to yourselves you “do-gooder” jerks.
Signed,
Burma
Report Post »Crazymind
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 4:34pmI agree it should have been brought to a zoo or sanctuary somewhere. Government killing animals. People next.
Report Post »BDBerzerker
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 5:18pmI wonder how many pairs of shoes that thing would make?
Report Post »wolverine
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 5:37pmAre you going to pay the bill to get this reptile back to Burma
Report Post »NOT A CRAZY
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 8:21pmYou have to be kidding about sending it back to Burma. That is like saying you want American blacks sent back to Africa. This was a snake that was born in America and some moron like you released it into the Florida backcountry. Now it is destroying our native wildlife including endangered species. It needs a price on its head. I might move down there to hunt them if the price was right. If they could be trained to eat nothing but cats I might say let them stay but I doubt we could do that.
Report Post »marie77
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 8:59pmHow sad indeed. Are you for real? Bring it back to Burma – do you even know where that is? And how do you think that poor thing got to South Florida in the first place – from the movie Snakes on a Plane? Didn’t your mother ever teach you to think before you speak, or in this case, write? I have to agree with Not A Crazy, that is like saying you want American blacks sent back to Africa. While there is no way to tell for certain, this snake was probably not a 1st generation “slave”, but several generations removed from a snake released by his “human” owner who could no longer take care of it, but did not think farther than his nose about the repercussions of releasing said animal into a wild habitat that it was not endemic to, simply because he/she did not have the cajones to admit his mistake and destroy it. And on a side note, who exactly should PAY for it’s relocation? You? Because I am not OK with that. Quite frankly, especially because I live in Florida, I am OK with killing it and studying its’ remains to determine how to eradicate a species that does not belong here and is upsetting the natural balance of the ecosystem.
Report Post »Wango
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:27pmFULL ON CRAZY . . . I’ll pay you $1000 a foot for any snake over 12 feet. Off you go. Send me the skin and I’ll send you the check, you manliest of mens. I bet you can score your own reality TV show. Maybe you and Bristol can do one together. I can see it now . . . Bristol Hunts the Big Ones with Full On Crazy.
Report Post »DSTSS2010
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 10:30pmThere is no longer a country named Burma, it is now called Myanmar. Would that make this a Myanmarian Python?
Report Post »JERZEE GIRL
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 9:51amin china they had a snake that big in a zoo and had a dog walking around inside the snakes cage.
Report Post »it upset me to see that so i wonder if you would be the one to feed it if they let the snake live. i say kill the beast!!!!!!!!!!!!
nick e l
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 12:03pmThese are NOT pets.. pets are dogs and cats.. they belong in the wild and these i diots who have them should get a life. If I see anything non indigenous species I will shoot it and not call anyone for capture.
Report Post »Period.
Semper Fi
Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:57amMaybe it will cross-breed with a rattlesnake or copperhead or coral snake. Then we could have 20 foot long POISONOUS pythons. It could be like a reptile version of Day of the Triffids.
Report Post »Marsh626
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:28amThey should all be hunted to extinction. This is America. Not the Amazon. I don’t want dangerous predators roaming – or slithering – around my yard. But I’m sure the environ-mental hordes will firebomb the homes of anyone who openly advocates such a policy. It’s only a matter of time before they cut a child out of one of these monsters. And I’m sure the eco-nutters will be quick to proclaim “That’s what you get for encroaching upon THEIR territory!1″
Report Post »sndrman
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:20amjust like the wild hog hunters maybe do a reality show about and send out camera crews and you’ll see them disappear quickly and themselves become on the endangered list….
Report Post »AnAmerican111
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:04amThat’s a big friggin snake!
Report Post »Should let it give live in the white house with the rest of the snakes
betsyyoung
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:58amLove it!
Report Post »Pokerjoe
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:00amIt wont be long. Someone will be killed by bigger ones. I hope the people who let them go are happy.
Report Post »Weiners Wiener
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:54amThat’s already happened. There have been news reports of a toddler killed last year by a Florida python, a 15 year old strangled in his sleep by one, and a grown man whose body was found next to one of these monsters.
Report Post »MCDAVE
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 1:08ammost of the snakes were introduced when the escaped their cages, during the destruction of homes by hurricanes ,exotic snakes and reptiles have become popular as pets in this country,unfortunately they can survive in some parts of our country
Report Post »team1blazer
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 10:27amlet us “bubbas” have at them…I’d love to have some python boots!
Report Post »bobad
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 10:16amOnly way to get rid of the feral pythons is to put out the word that they are delicious and illegal to kill.
Report Post »GrayPanther
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:59amLooks like these BIG snakes will produce some more endangered species in Florida. Then, there will be more work for these nature lovers while pythons multiply 87 to one. Should be fun to watch!
Report Post »salvawhoray
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:53amwhy did they kill it?
Report Post »that snake could have been the star to “Snakes On A Plane 2”
USA5
Posted on August 17, 2012 at 12:47amIt didn’t have any acting experience.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:49amSo why are the eco-extremists and EPA not screaming their lungs out over the scientists having taken the snake, killing it and then dissecting it? If anyone else had done so, they would be in jail by now.
Report Post »marie77
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:15pmSimple answer – not enough press.
Report Post »rpp
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:45amSo THAT is what eight years of college is for. Glad I missed it.
Report Post »Noah Pology
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:45amThe obligatory PETA protest will be issued in…..3,2,1.
Report Post »john vincent
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:42amAh yes, the treasures of nature. What a speciman of power, grace, and guile. And this within borders, imagine what unseen creatures have yet to be discovered in the fields of the deep, hidden from human eyes, beneath the great seas, laughing at the atheist and sceptic, proving GOd’s word as true? What a teacher nature is, if man would but pay attention.
Leviathan comes to mind, with scales akin to armor.
‘his snorting throws out flashes of light’
‘his breath sets coals ablaze’
‘nothing on eart is his equal’
Took no more effort for God to make an earthworm, than to make an anaconda, python, giraffe, or leviathan.
Report Post »Landon410
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:31amthats a big f’ing snake
Report Post »ColoradoMaverick
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:08amWow, and I thought Obama was a big snake in the grass. At least this one is not destroying our country,
Report Post »CulperGang
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:38amYup, the wrong snake. What was the purpose of killing it?? Oh, yeah, no particular reason. Typical Obama type response to harmless animals: KILL it it is in the way. This snake was ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY keeping the population of other animals from proliferating. Where the hell is the “green crowd” on this?? those fake hypocrites.
Report Post »Humans=wanton, slaughter and destruction.
SHOOTnCRASH
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:29am@CulperGang there is a very good reason to kill it. This is a top predator introduced into an ecosystem where it has zero competition. The reason its so big is because it can literally eat anything and everything it comes across including the former top predators, this thing can easily take out crocodiles. The prey and predators in this area have evolved tactics of offense and defense to deal with each other. There is no doubt there are mind boggling number of these monsters here. Its a serious problem.
Report Post »Crazyotto
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 11:23pmShootNCrash .. I agree.. these things are super predators… they need to be thinned out or else not only will little Jimmy be missing his dog but his parents are going to be missing him…
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on August 15, 2012 at 9:07amEw. Just…. ew.
Although she could be made into a nice pair of strappy sandals. Where do I place my order?
Report Post »JACKTHETOAD
Posted on August 16, 2012 at 3:01amOnly after we eat at Chick-Fil-SSSSssss…:)
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