A nighttime search in Big Cypress National Preserve ended with hunters wrestling a Burmese python that stretched 19 feet. The capture set a verified Florida length record after biologists at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida measured the animal.

Hunters removed 280 invasive Burmese pythons from South Florida during the 10-day 2026 Florida Python Challenge, state officials announced today. Organized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District,

"He gave it his all and led us right to a discovery that will leave a lasting impact."

Burmese pythons — destructive invasive snakes with few natural predators in Florida — have developed a new foothold outside the Everglades.

Photographer and writer Bob Bramblet is the past president of the Florida Outdoors Writers Association, and he wrote a book called 'Where the Python Sleeps'.