On Friday, April 5, representatives of Big Cypress National Preserve (FL) reported that their reserve was recently discovered Burmese Python-the champion female. Its length was 17 feet (slightly more than 5 m) and a weight of 140 pounds (63.5 kg). And that’s not all. The study showed that within Python 73 contained developing eggs.
Big Cypress National Preserve is a protected area located on 720 thousand acres (4047 square meters) in the southern part of Florida, approximately 50 miles (80.5 km) West of Miami. Scientists for several years to try to control the number of invasive populations of pythons, as they increase poses a serious threat to local animals and the entire ecosystem as a whole.
Therefore, the reserve not so long ago began to apply a new approach to search for the reptiles. In particular, pythons males, which hitched the radio, decided to follow in order to detect nesting females.
So uncomplicated way experts managed to track down one «zapelengovali» Python, and near it found a giant female is preparing to soon postpone 73 balls. Currently caught the female Python was taken from the reserve, don’t know where.
By the way, the team not only removes the invasive snakes from the territory of the reserve, but also collects data for research and is studying how pythons are using the protected area.
Burmese Python native to Southeast Asia. In South Florida this species was, according to a study at the University of Florida, due to accidental escapes from his negligent owners, or deliberate release of Pets into the wild. While discovered the female was 17 feet in length, these snakes sometimes reach 23 feet (7 m), while the weight is 200 pounds (about 91 kg).
