The Conservancy of Southwest Florida on Thursday shared images and video showing a Burmese python attempting to “ingest” a 77-pound white-tailed deer.
The adult female python, photographed in South Florida by conservancy biologist Ian Bartoszek, measured 14 feet, 8 inches.
Bartoszek stated: “Watching an invasive apex predator swallow a full-sized deer in front of you is something that you will never forget.
“The impact the Burmese python is having on native wildlife cannot be denied. This is a wildlife issue of our time for the Greater Everglades ecosystem.”
(Click here to view video footage showing the extraordinary predation event.)
The imagery, showcased via Facebook, was used in a collaborative study “to better understand the ecological impacts of the invasive Burmese python.”
https://www.facebook.com/ConservancySWF/posts/pfbid0W1ipaYfxoaTfKZcXV7YhBrRyaQnneRcFauyZ4hPdSu7qy17BzgG28rMYNKxEkaj3l
The study was published recently in the journal of Reptiles and Amphibians.
Burmese pythons, which can measure nearly 20 feet, are native to Southeast Asia. They have established populations throughout South Florida, including the Everglades region.
They have no natural predators (besides humans) and continue to expand their range, posing a growing threat to native wildlife.
Because of this, they are not protected and the state allows the humane killing of pythons without a permit or hunting license.
The largest python captured in Florida measured 18 feet.