There are
snakes, and then there are "SSSSNNNNAAAAAAAAKES!!!!"
Florida
resident and professional python bounty hunter Kyle Penniston caught and killed
one such SSSSNNNNAAAAAAAAKE earlier this week in the Florida Everglades,
according to a news
release from the South Florida Water Management District
(SFWMD). The gargantuan Burmese python measured
17 feet 5 inches (5.3 meters) long and weighed about 120 lbs. (54 kilograms).
It is survived by many children's nightmares. [7
Shocking Snake Stories]
Penniston
caught and "humanely euthanized" the snake as part of the
SFWMD's Python Elimination Program,
which pays a team of 25 mercenary snake hunters to track and kill invasive
pythons and deposit the reptiles at designated drop-off locations around
several counties in southern Florida. (The program website does not specify
what "humane" euthanasia means, but does say that firearm use on
snakes is permitted, consistent with local, state and federal regulations.)
Strange News
Snapshot: Week of Nov. 4, 2018
What's weird
in science news this week? A "perfect pizza" equation, beatboxing in
an MRI machine, and a museum showcasing the world's most disgusting foods.
Burmese
pythons are an invasive species in the
Everglades (Florida's extremely biodiverse wetland
preserve that spans 1.5 million acres, or 1 million hectares). They were likely
introduced to the ecosystem by careless pet owners, the SFWMD wrote. These
snakes breed rapidly and pose a serious threat to the area's birds, rodents,
deer and even alligators.
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