BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE, Fla. — Since they managed to escape into the Everglades back in the 1990s, the State of Florida has been waging war on the invasive Burmese python, going so far as to hire and pay trappers to remove them.
They’re known for wreaking havoc on the Everglades and preying on native animals there. Over the years, the length and size of some of these captured pythons have been astounding. But now a snake caught just this week has set a new record, not just here in Florida, but in the world.
At first glance, Jake Waleri and his friends Stephen and Isabella might just seem like your average college kids home for summer break. But instead of the usual summer off pastimes, Jake prefers chasing snakes. So on Tuesday night, when he suggested a drive down U.S. 41 in the Everglades looking for pythons, they were in. But they never expected to find a serpent this big sitting in the middle of the road.
“Driving around on U.S. 41 looking for snakes along the side, I just happened to turn my light towards the front of the car, and I saw this big head in the road; I thought it was a ten-footer or so, got a bit closer and realized it was an absolute monster,” Waleri said.
Even after dodging a bite from a mouth filled with needle-sharp, backward-facing teeth and gaining control of its head, Jake didn’t think this snake was anything special.
“I didn’t. I thought it was going to break about 14, 15 feet. I didn’t want to kid myself and say it was a record breaker, but after a few minutes of fighting it, I realized, wow, this one is a beast,” he said.
Jake and his friends aren’t paid to hunt these snakes, unlike contractors from the state who get paid per snake and nest of eggs.
“It’s an absolute dream come true; me and Steve came knowing nothing to python hunt, and after 2 years, we’ve really worked hard to become the best,” Waleri added.
The previous state record for a wild-caught Burmese python was set by a contractor and measured in at 18 feet, 9 inches long. But this one was measured by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to be 19 feet exactly.
At first, Jake had a hard time getting officials to measure it.
“No, I didn’t have much luck with FWC; they weren’t super receptive to coming out and measuring this snake,” he said. “But I called the Conservancy, luckily a contact there was willing to measure it and said, ‘let’s get this one official. If it really is the record’. We went this morning to the lab, got an official measurement on it. I’m proud to say it’s the only snake ever that has broken 19 feet for a Burmese python.”
But what is even more impressive is that this wasn’t just the longest wild caught snake. The female Jake and his friends caught was even longer than the longest Burmese python ever, named “Baby”. Kept in captivity in Chicago, that snake measured 18 feet, 10 inches long.
Thanks to the Conservancy, the snake will be more than just a world record setter. Scientists there plan on using her DNA to better understand how pythons are spreading and how far removed from the original ‘Everglades Escapees’ she is.
“We’re thinking the snake could be anywhere from 18 to 21 years. We’re not sure, it’s going to take more studying to figure out how old this snake really is,” Waleri said.
They estimated, based off her size and the season, that she had just finished sitting on eggs.
“Because it sat on those eggs so long, it hasn’t eaten in several months. It wasn’t being smart, just acting on hunger and went into the road where we were able to find it,” Waleri said.
And while it’s a great catch and a benefit to the Everglades for being removed, Jake and his friends think there could be even longer snakes out there, and are planning to keep looking for them.