A group of snake hunters captured the largest Burmese python ever caught in Florida this week.
The huge snake was 19 feet long and weighed 125 pounds, according to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, an environmental nonprofit in the city of Naples that has been involved in efforts to remove invasive Burmese pythons for a decade.
The conservancy said the snake hunters caught the female snake early Monday morning in Big Cypress National Preserve.
The largest python previously documented in Florida was 18 feet 9inches long, according to the conservancy.
"It's the only snake I've ever seen that scared me enough where I just didn't know what to do," said Jake Waleri, one of the snake hunters, in a video released by the conservancy.
Waleri said the snake hunters wrestled with the snake for about three minutes before he got hold of the head.
"It was a fight, and it was a good one, definitely one to remember,"he said.
"We brought the snake to the Conservancy to be officially measured and documented," said Waleri, 22, a Naples native. "We wanted to donate this find to science."
"It's awesome to be able to make an impact on South Florida's environment," he added. "We love this ecosystem and try to preserve it as much as possible."
Fellow snake hunter Stephen Gauta added: "It's pretty terrifying to know that these animals are so destructive to our ecosystem. But knowing that we can go out there and take care of monsters like thisand get them out of the Everglades is something that makes me feelgood."
Burmese Pythons have been a huge problem in the Everglades. They reproduce rapidly and eat other wildlife.
"We had a feeling that these snakes get this big and now we have clear evidence," said Ian Easterling, a conservancy biologist.
"Her genetic material may prove valuable for an eventual understanding of the founding population of South Florida. We will be collecting measurements and samples that will be distributed to our research collaborators."
The snake was not the heaviest ever captured in Florida. A 215-poundfemale that was captured last year holds that record. — tca/dpa
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