Someone better call those guys who have the python hunting competition. Recently, scientists shared wild footage of a Burmese python swallowing a 77-pound white-tailed deer whole, and suddenly I'm scared to go to Florida.
You can check out the video below. Wildlife biologist Ian Bartoszek of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida recorded the wild encounter. Scientists have been researching the reptiles in the Florida Everglades. That's when they stumbled upon a 14.8-foot, 115-pound female python preparing to consume an entire deer.
"It felt like we were literally catching the serial killer in the act, and it was intense to observe [in] real time," Bartoszek told Life Science. According to the researcher, pythons will eat pretty much anything. And if they're eating a deer, you best believe they'll snack on your pets or perhaps your child or even you.
Scientists say they have a maximum jaw gap of 10.2 inches, which is larger than previously thought.
"This was the most intense and impressive sight we have observed in 12 years of tracking pythons in southwestern Florida," Bartoszek told Life Science. "It was truly primal and felt like a scene that had been playing out for millions of years wherever you have large snakes."
"Unfortunately, our native wildlife in Florida have not evolved with this apex predator, and you are seeing that result with these images," he added.
Python Eats Deer
The video shows why it's important to try to stop this invasive species in Florida. The python in the video consumed something 66.9% of its own mass. Bruce Jayne of the University of Cincinnati also spoke about the wild moment caught on tape.
"Besides the large absolute size of the deer that was eaten being impressive, our anatomical measurements indicate this deer was very near the size limit on the prey that could be consumed by this snake," Jayne said. "Hence, these snakes resemble overachievers by sometimes testing the limits of what their anatomy allows rather than being slackers that eat only 'snack size' prey."
So far, they've removed more than 77,000 snakes over the past 12 years.
"We have been removing pythons and advancing invasive snake science for over a decade. These animals continue to impress us each season, and one thing we've learned for certain is not to underestimate the Burmese python," Bartoszek also said.
Using tracking devices, they were able to locate female snakes and also euthanize them.
"We have a lot of respect for the Burmese python and they are here through no fault of their own," he also said. "However, we understand the impact they are having on native wildlife and are not sitting on the sidelines."
