19-Foot Python Killed: Man Kills Giant Snake After Encounter in Florida (VIDEO)
A 19-foot python has been killed in Florida this month, according to reports.
A man from Miami-Dade County is reported to have killed the huge Burmese Python. The species is known to be quite an invasive species in the state, and it is common for people to go out of their way to make sure they are killed if found.
Regular pythons found in Florida are usually about six to nine feet long on average, but this python, found by Floridian Jason Leon, was measured at an amazing 18 feet 8 inches long.
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The snake was also weighted at 128 lbs, making it the largest python ever to be captured in the state of Florida.
According to reports, the man was driving down a road in Florida when he saw part of the humungous snake sticking out of the bush.
The sight was so extraordinary that he stopped the vehicle and got out. He then reportedly grabbed the snake around its neck and ragged it out into the middle of the road.
At that point the python is said to have attempted to wrap itself around the man's leg, however, he got out a knife and killed the python.
Kristen Sommers, the Florida Wildlife Commission's exotic species coordination leader, has said: "Jason Leon's nighttime sighting and capture of a Burmese python of more than 18 feet in length is a notable accomplishment that set a Florida record."
She added, "The FWC is grateful to him both for safely removing such a large Burmese python and for reporting its capture."
Pythons were not historically widespread in Florida, but when exotic pet owners released them into the wild in the 1990s they have become more common. It is now believed that the population of Burmese pythons in Florida stands at about 100,000.
Here is a video of the previous largest Burmese Python caught in Florida:
