Record-breaking 19-foot-long Burmese python caught in Florida

A record-breaking, 19-foot-long Burmese python was caught this week in Florida.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida said the snake was caught by a local hunter in the Big Cypress National Preserve on Monday.

Jake Waleri, 22, brought the snake to the conservancy in Naples, Fla., where it weighed in at 125 pounds. Its 19-foot length was the longest ever recorded in the state. The previous record went to a python found in the Everglades that clocked in at 18 feet, 9 inches in 2020.

In a video posted on Instagram, the female python lunges at Waleri as he pulls it by its tail. The two then wrestled on the ground before several others jumped in to pull the snake off the man.

Burmese pythons are an invasive species with no natural predators and have ravaged the state’s native animal populations, including alligators, deer and even household pets.

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

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the snakes are such a nuisance and threat that hunters don’t need a permit to kill them.

“We had a feeling that these snakes get this big and now we have clear evidence,” Ian Easterling, a biologist at the Conservancy, said. “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 heaviest Burmese python ever documented in Florida was caught in 2022 and weighed 215 pounds.