iStockphoto / Mark Williams
The Florida Everglades are ground zero in the battle against invasive Burmese pythons in the Sunshine State and one group of snake hunters just removed one of the biggest specimens ever seen or captured.
Tampa-local Jake Cronin and a group of friends hit the Everglades for a night python hunting trip to start the week and they struck proverbial gold by landing an 18-foot Burmese python, just a foot shy of the largest python ever caught in Florida.
Cronin shared video of their 18-foot snake with WFLA and the capture has gone viral after hitting Facebook:
According to David Strege of For The Win, this 18-footer slithered into the road and was spotted by Cronin and his crew. That’s when they hopped into action and captured one of the biggest snakes ever caught, in Florida or anywhere.
For a long time, 18-feet was the biggest these pythons were getting in Florida. That is until July 10th when a snake measuring 19-feet was captured by a group of python wranglers who brought their catch to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to learn more about the specimen.
It was measured as the longest Burmese python ever caught in Florida, 3 inches longer than this 18’9″ snake caught in 2020.
If it feels like these invasive snakes are getting longer and bigger, it sure does seem that way. The infamous Python Cowboy was recently a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience where he shared his story of being attacked by a 17-footer in The Everglades.
Kimmel (the Python Cowboy) has pioneered a unique style of python hunting using a pair of scent-hunting dogs to sniff out these Burmese pythons in the thick backwoods of the Glades.
As an incredibly successful python hunter, he also has quite a few keepsakes like this snakeskin of his biggest catch:
There is an annual Python Challenge in Florida for competitive snake hunters. Prizes are awarded on a per-snake and size basis. Entry into the annual event requires completion of a short course online. The 2023 Florida Python Challenge has already concluded but anyone looking to learn more about 2024’s event, and this year’s winners, can check the state’s website for updates.