Only in Florida!: An enormous invasive Burmese python nearly 5 and a half meters long has been captured

A certified python hunter captured a Burmese python nearly 18 feet long —approximately 5.5 meters— in one of the most impressive captures recorded recently in the state.

The images were shared on Facebook by meteorologist Matt Devitt, who described the finding as "a monstrous Florida snake!" and credited the capture to Elliott Totten, a certified python hunter contracted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

The photographs, taken at night on a dirt road in a wetland area, show several people holding the enormous reptile, whose thickness is comparable to a human torso and features the characteristic pattern of brown, black, and gold spots of the species Python bivittatus.

Totten, a native of Marco Island, Florida, is certified as a python hunter by the FWC and works as an official state contractor in the search and capture of these snakes in the Everglades.

The average Burmese python in Florida measures between six and nine feet, according to the FWC, making a specimen almost 18 feet long a truly exceptional find.

The historical record for the state exceeds 5.79 meters (19 feet), and in August 2024, a 5.49-meter python was captured in Florida, also measuring 18 feet, one of the largest recorded up to that point.

The Burmese python is considered one of the worst reptile invasions in the history of the United States.

It arrived in Florida through the exotic pet trade—either through voluntary releases or accidental escapes—and found ideal conditions in the Everglades: a subtropical climate, an abundance of prey, and a lack of natural predators.

Its ecological impact is devastating: scientific studies document reductions of up to 90% in populations of native mammals such as raccoons, opossums, and rabbits in invaded areas, as well as predation on young birds and caimans.

To combat the invasion, Florida maintains active control programs.

The Florida Python Challenge 2025, held from July 11 to 20, achieved a record of 294 pythons eliminated in 10 days and awarded 25,000 dollars in prizes.

Despite these efforts, it is estimated that tens of thousands of Burmese pythons inhabit the Everglades, making complete eradication virtually impossible.

Hunters like Totten patrol the wetlands at night in search of these reptiles, whose large captures continue to make headlines, yet remain extraordinary.

Devitt summed up the general sentiment about the images with a phrase that says it all: "What a shot!"