15-Foot Python Caught on Camera Slithering Across the Road in Florida Everglades
While the American alligator is native to Florida's swamps, gators are far from the only giant reptiles lurking in the swamps of the Sunshine State. Due to irresponsible snake owners releasing their pets into the wild, pythons have become an invasive species in large parts of South Florida. With vast food resources at their disposal, these pythons can grow to become abnormally large.
The official @nbcsouthflorida TikTok account shared a unnerving video from the Everglades. A nearby road was blocked by a massive 15-foot python slithering out of the swamps!
OMG! That python is in the running for the largest snake we've ever seen! At 15 feet, that snake is about as long as the average car that drives up that road! Typically, most pythons don't usually get very big in captivity because responsible owners keep them on strict feeding regimens. In the wild, though, nothing stops these pythons from eating as much and as often as they like, which subsequently causes their growth rates to explode.
As huge as this snake is, this isn't even the biggest python to be spotted in the Everglades. The largest python yet discovered in the Everglades came in at 215 lbs and was almost 18 feet long! Invasive pythons in South Florida have even been known to eat the native alligators in some circumstances, further evidencing their negative impact on the local ecosystem.
Locals are understandably upset about South Florida's growing python problem. "There is about 150,000 of them and they're eating deer and alligators now because they have completely taken over," lamented @user_gg77.
The sight of the giant snakes alone just about scared some folks off from the Sunshine State! "Florida!!! I just couldn’t live there. Gators, Snakes, and from what I’ve heard, the mosquitoes are the worst," exclaimed @konglee24. At least it helped @katiebug9311 look on the bright side: "All of a sudden the snow and negative temperatures aren't so bad after all,"
Unsettling videos like this one are an important reminder for reptile owners to practice their exotic pet ownership responsibly. Introducing new species to an environment can wreak havoc to a native ecosystem, and that's exactly what happening right now in the Everglades with pythons like this 15-footer.
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