• Giant Burmese python caught in Florida
    6 replies, posted
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19252080[/url] (w/ video) [quote=BBC]The biggest Burmese python ever caught in Florida's wild has been captured in the Everglades, US scientists say. The snake measuring 17ft 7in (5.18m) and weighing 164lb (74kg) was found in Everglades National Park, the University of Florida announced. The python - now dead - was pregnant with 87 eggs, also believed to be a record. Non-native Burmese pythons have been blamed for a staggering decline of mammals in Florida's Everglades. Scientists say the latest discovery shows just how pervasive the snakes - native to South East Asia - have become in South Florida. "It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild," said Kenneth Krysko, at the Florida Museum of Natural History. "There's nothing stopping them, and the native wildlife are in trouble." He said that the snake had feathers in its stomach that would help to identify the types of wildlife it was eating. "A 17-and-a-half-foot snake could eat anything it wants," he added. Pythons kill their prey by coiling around it and suffocating it. They have been known to swallow animals as large as deer and alligators. After scientific investigation, the snake will be exhibited at the museum on the University of Florida campus for five years before being returned to the Everglades National Park. In 2009, another Burmese python named Delilah, measuring 18ft and weighing more than 400lb, was seized by Florida wildlife officials after it was found that its cage at a home near Lake Apopka was unsuitable.[/quote]
Holy christ I am never going to Florida
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;37231101]Holy christ I am never going to Florida[/QUOTE] Only reason to ever go to Florida is to see space launches if you ask me. Along with going to a Disney park.
Glad to see they killed it, those things are horrifically invasive to the everglades. Nevertheless, the longest my south-american Red-Tailed Boa ever got was about 14 so that's really hard to imagine!
[QUOTE=Dysgalt;37231132]Only reason to ever go to Florida is to see space launches if you ask me. Along with going to a Disney park.[/QUOTE] Only reason for me to go visit is space launches and for visiting some family members that live there.
doesn't really surprise me, tons of assholes get deadly snakes and then realise "oh shit I can't handle this" then bring them down here and just release them into the wild
[QUOTE=IdiotStorm;37232673]doesn't really surprise me, tons of assholes get deadly snakes and then realise "oh shit I can't handle this" then bring them down here and just release them into the wild[/QUOTE] Actually, they were released when Hurricane Andrew hit a breeder/importer facility. Genetic testing has shown that most of the Burmese down there are related. The vast majority of large snake owners are responsible. Every pet type has their idiots. You get idiots that don't do any research into dog breeds randomly buying one and then realizing they don't know shit about training. Same thing happens with snakes and reptiles, unfortunately.
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