A Giant 185-Pound Florida Python: A Potential State Record
Collier County, Florida, has seen the capture and removal of numerous Burmese pythons, weighing more than three fully-rigged F-150 Ford pickup trucks combined.
This includes the heaviest female and male pythons ever recorded in Florida: 185 pounds (captured most recently) and 140 pounds, respectively, according to Naples biologist Ian Bartoszek, as reported by South Florida ABC7-TV.
Bartoszek, an Environmental Science Project Manager and Wildlife Biologist, along with his team from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, have been studying and tracking invasive pythons for several years. They have recently published the largest scientific study on these massive reptiles.
The biologists equipped 80 pythons with radio trackers, focusing on 25 of them to monitor their movements and facilitate the removal of more snakes.
Over 1,000 snakes were removed and taken to the Conservancy’s snake lab in Naples. Most of these were females, which can lay an average of 42 eggs per breeding cycle.
Pythons have flourished and multiplied throughout South Florida, particularly in and around the Everglades. Bartoszek’s research has focused on Collier County, one of the many infested counties in the region.
“Our study area is located on the edge of town,” he explained. “We are not deep in the Everglades.
“We are dealing with an invasive apex predator [pythons] that is significantly disrupting the ecosystem.”
Read Next: The Python Hunt
Bartoszek refers to Burmese pythons as an unfortunate consequence of the pet trade. He believes these snakes either escaped from captivity or were deliberately released into the wild.
Pythons have completely transformed the natural environment in South Florida, leading to the decline of small animal populations and competition with endangered Florida panthers and other animals for resources and habitat.
A skilled hunter, dedicated conservationist, and advocate for ethical practices. Respected in the hunting community, he balances human activity with environmental preservation.