Florida’s Burmese pythons have reached a level of lore in Florida that perhaps no other animals have held in the state.
They’re the ultimate of swamp monsters. Pythons are gigantic predators from halfway around the world that have consumed a significant percentage of south Florida’s mammals.
And they hunt in a nightmarish way ― grabbing prey as it passes.
Once secured with a bite, pythons wrap their muscular bodies around their prey and then crush the life out of them.
When the prey is dead, the python will move to the head of the animal and start the consumption process.
They slowly work their mouths around their prey until the animal is basically incased inside the snake’s digestive tract.
In the historic Everglades, they haunt the corners of the most remote wild lands east of the Mississippi River. They slither along the swamp floor and spend much of their lives underwater.
Step 1 for humanely euthanizing a Burmese python: Draw an imaginary line between each eye and opposite jawbone. The brain is located where the two lines intersect. Apply the tool to the target area (brain) to achieve an immediate loss of consciousness.
Sporting camouflage blends perfectly into our jungle-like sub-tropical environment, Burmese pythons are at the top of the food chain here in the Sunshine State, and they don’t even belong here.
They started an assault on the Everglades in the 1990s, and the thinking goes that many python breeding facilities in the Miami and Homestead area were toppled by storms like Hurricane Andrew (1992).
The pythons escaped storm-ravaged buildings and found a home in the Everglades, where they have eaten a noticeable amount of the local mammal population.
And they’ll eat just about anything, from white-tailed deer to alligators.
So, how do Floridians fight back against these invasive predators?
The most direct way to impact the python population is to go out and actively hunt them down: turn the predator-prey relationship on its head.
But there some things to consider before you grab a hunting knife and golf club (used by some hunters to pin the snake to the ground).
How are pythons humanely killed in Florida?
The idea is to wipe out the brain activity as soon as possible to end the snake’s suffering.
Various things are used to do this, from hunting knives to guns.
The application of the tool should immediately result in the python losing consciousness. And immediately and substantially destroy the python’s brain by manually “pithing” which prevents the python from regaining consciousness, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
How many Burmese pythons are in Florida?
No one knows now many Burmese pythons are in South Florida as these snakes are spread out over millions of acres and are very difficult to find, much less count. But the number is likely above 100,000 and is growing in some areas. The snakes will likely forever be a part of south Florida’s ecology as they established a breeding population more than three decades ago.
Is Burmese python meat edible?
Technically, python meat is edible, but it contains high levels of mercury and has been deemed unfit for regular human consumption by health officials.
Eating python one time is probably not going to cause any ill effects, but heavy metals like mercury bioaccumulate in the body and can cause severe health issues over the long term.
Where do you find Burmese pythons in Florida?
Burmese pythons are currently considered established from just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and from western Broward County west to Collier County.
The large snakes typically live in rainforests near streams, although they have been known to survive in a variety of habitats, such as grasslands, swamps and rocky foothills.
What should you do if you get bitten by a python?
Burmese pythons are large and strong enough to capture and eat deer and alligators. And although they aren’t venomous, pythons do bite.
If bitten by one, don’t grab the snake and pull it away as the teeth are curved and will act like a saw ― slicing through your flesh.Instead, grab the snake behind the head and pry the jaws open before seeking medical treatment.
On the move: How far north will pythons go?
What happens to captured Burmese pythons in Florida?
By law, any captured Burmese python must be humanely euthanized prior to transportation. Researchers and certain permit holders are exempt from that rule and may travel with live snakes.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: How to kill a Burmese python should you encounter one in Florida
