FL Men Break World Record For Longest Burmese Python Ever Caught

NAPLES, FL — Two South Florida python hunters known as the Glades Boys have broken the world record for the longest Burmese python ever captured on record.

Stephen Gauta and Jake Waleri captured the 19-foot-long, 125-pound snake early Monday morning, around 1 a.m., at the Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County, the pair wrote in an Instagram post. (Watch a video of the snake’s capture below.)

The female snake was brought to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida for measurements and confirmation of its size, the agency wrote in a Facebook post.

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“Getting that bite out of the equation was a huge relief when she taped up the mouth,” they wrote on Instagram. “We all feel extremely blessed to come across a python of this caliber and I want to give a big thank you to all those involved.”

Python huntress Amy Siewe happened to be in the area when they caught the record-breaking snake and helped the duo tape the massive reptile’s mouth shut.

This wasn’t the first large snake that they've bagged since they started hunting pythons. Last summer, Gauta and Waleri caught two other lengthy snakes — a 17-foot, 10-inch python that weighed 110 pounds in August and a 17-foot, 16-inch long snake that weighed 106 pounds in July.

“This was the first really big snake that we caught and provided us valuable experience to feel confident while catching any other snake,” they wrote.

“It’s awesome to be able to make an impact on South Florida’s environment. We love this ecosystem and try to preserve it as much as possible,” Waleri said in a news release from the Conservancy.

Conservancy biologist, Ian Easterling, said, “We had a feeling that these snakes get this big and now we have clear evidence. 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.”

Watch the Glades Boys wrestle and capture the 19-foot-long snake: