Tracking a python led researchers to the biggest sex party in the region's history

You think you had a good Valentine's Day? Pssh. The biggest python sex party in the region's history took place in Collier County's woods, according to researchers.

And by "python sex party" we mean actual Burmese pythons.

According to the Naples Daily News, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida put a tracking device into male snake "Argo" and released him to find his partner in procreation. Argo led them to a 100-pound female about to lay eggs. The Conservancy captured the female and let Argo loose again.

When researchers found Argo again, he was hanging out with some other male pythons. Knowing you don't get this kind of boys club without a girl nearby, they started looking through the foliage.

Sure enough, they found the neighborhood floozy, a 115-pound, egg-laying female python. Big Mama's male harem numbered seven. This set a record for "breeding aggregation" in Southwest Florida.

"If we can continue to target breeding female pythons for removal, the results are two-fold," Conservancy President & CEO Rob Moher says on the group's website. "We are keeping the invasive snakes from multiplying and reducing the overall impact on our native wildlife populations."

Cool as Burmese pythons look in a giant snake way, they're such an invasive species that they are a threat to native wildlife, so the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission isn't particularly bothered if you kill them. Anywhere.

"Pythons can be humanely killed on private lands at any time with landowner permission — no permit required — and the FWC encourages people to remove and kill pythons from private lands whenever possible," the FWC's website declares.

Not only is FWC not bothered, you might get free stuff! From the same page: "Win prizes for removing pythons! Remove and humanely kill pythons from private and participating public properties in Florida, and for each python submission you’ll have a chance to win valuable prizes! Anyone can participate!"

This story was originally published April 20, 2018 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Tracking a python led researchers to the biggest sex party in the region's history."