Pythons have been a bit of a nuisance in Florida since they were introduced and started taking over in the 1980′s. Originally they were mainly an Everglades problem. But since the Burmese Python can lay 50-100 eggs a year, and grow to over 20 feet, it seems they’ve outgrown the swamps and are moving further into central Florida now. In fact a snake hunter by the name of Dusty Crum, who has a Discovery Channel show called “Guardians Of The Glades”, reported that this female was later found to have been pregnant with around 100 eggs ready to be laid.
According to the History Channel’s website: “Native to Southeast Asia, pythons were first brought to the United States as exotic pets. When the exotic pet trade boomed in the 1980s, Miami became host to thousands of such snakes.
Because pythons can grow to such unmanageable sizes, it was inevitable that some irresponsible owners would release the snakes into the wild. But most experts believe the pythons established a reproducing population in the Everglades sometime after Hurricane Andrew—a category 5 storm that devastated the state in August 1992. It was during that storm that a python breeding facility was destroyed, releasing countless snakes into the nearby swamps.”
This huge girl was found by Aaron Brown on his family’s property in Zolfo Springs. “I drove past it and said, ‘That’s a big snake.’ I had my mother with me and she said, ‘Well, get out and get it.’ I said, ‘You get out and get it. If that joker catches me, you can’t help me,’” Aaron recalled. And he would more than likely have been right. Check out how huge she is! And see more pics and video at this site.