177-Pound Burmese Python Found In FL Everglades: Reports

FLORIDA EVERGLADES — A 177-pound Burmese python ever captured by Florida wildlife officials is one of the largest on record, per media reports.

The nearly 17-feet long snake was captured on March 29 by Kurt Cox of the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area in the Florida Everglades, WTSP reported Friday. It is unknown how the snake was caught.

The massive python is the fourth-heaviest on record, both WTSP and WFLA reported, citing Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data.

Burmese pythons are not native to Florida and were put on Florida's Prohibited species list on April 29, 2021. They also cannot be imported into the U.S. due to their existence on the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Injurious Species list, the FWC said.

More than 18,000 pythons had been removed in Florida as of January 2023, according to the FWC's Python Action Team Removing Invasive Constrictors.

Pythons in Florida cannot be eaten due to their mercury levels, and they cannot be kept as pets, the FWC said.