18ft Python Killed Was In Florida-Amazing

A Miami man briefly wrestled with and ultimately used a knife to kill
a Burmese python measuring 18 feet, 8 inches.
That sets a state record for pythons captured or killed in the wild.
The previous record measured 17 feet, 7 inches.
Jason Leon was not hunting pythons but, while driving late at night
recently in southeast Miami-Dade County, he and a friend spotted about
3 feet of snake protruding from the bush.
Leon applied the brakes, climbed out of the car, grabbed the visible
portion of the snake, and began hauling it onto the road.
The giant constrictor responded by trying to wrap its body around one
of Leon's legs, but he was able to dispatch the reptile with a knife.
Burmese pythons are native to grassy marshes of Southeast Asia and can
grow to about 23 feet and weigh up to about 200 pounds.
In Florida, where they've been released as pets and escaped from
wildlife facilities, there are thousands of them, mostly within the
Everglades ecosystem.
As such a large and voracious invasive species, they're a threat to
native wildlife.
The state would like to eradicate them, if that were possible.
Leon, meanwhile, is being praised.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a news release, in which exotic species specialist Kristen Sommers stated:
"The FWC is grateful to him for both safety
removing such a large Burmese python and
for reporting its capture…With the help of people like Mr. Leon and
our ongoing partnerships with other agencies, the FWC is advancing
what we know about Burmese pythons in Florida."
Leon, who said he once owned Burmese pythons and has experience
handling the non-poisonous snakes, reported the capture
via a hotline used for reporting exotic species.
The python was delivered to the University of Florida's Fort
Lauderdale Research and Education Center where it was measured and a
necropsy was performed.