A large Burmese python was found on a Florida Keys highway. Did it just swim there?
The effort to eliminate invasive Burmese pythons from the South Florida ecosystem is likely lost, but state wildlife officials still want them captured when encountered.
A Florida Keys deputy did just that this week when he came across an eight-foot snake slithering along U.S. 1 in Key Largo.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. James Hager captured the python, bagged it and turned it over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, according to a Facebook post by the Florida Sheriff’s Association.
Burmese pythons were introduced to South Florida decades ago, likely through the exotic pet trade. Between the warm sub-tropical climate and having no natural predators, their populations have exploded, particularly in the Everglades.
State and federal wildlife officials are so concerned about pythons that it’s basically open season on the non-native reptiles year-round in Florida
“Like all non-native reptile species, Burmese pythons are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty laws and can be humanely killed on private property with landowner permission,” the FWC states on its website. “This species can be captured and humanely killed year-round and without a permit or hunting license on 25 Commission-managed lands in south Florida.”
Pythons are found regularly in the Keys, especially in Key Largo in the Upper Keys. But it’s not clear if there are breeding populations or if they swim down from the mainland.
In 2016, scientists with the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge on North Key Largo found three young snakes on the island, indicating that they likely hatched locally.
Most pythons encountered in Florida average in length between six and nine feet, according to the FWC. However, the largest one captured in the state was 18 feet long, the agency said.
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 4:48 PM.
