Florida hunters should never cut off the head of a python
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Florida is sending people in the Everglades to hunt for giant snakes — and it could net one person $10,000 - The invasive species is one of the largest snakes in the world
Brandon Welty, a python researcher with Croc Docs, holds up an antenna and receiver to track where a male python during breeding season on March 11, 2026 in the interior of the northern Everglades. Ashley Miznazi amiznazi@miamiherald.com
Burmese pythons spread beyond the Everglades as Florida's Python Challenge begins, offering $25,000 in prizes.
Hunters participating in the Florida Python Challenge in July will have an abundance of python meet. But it is advised that it not be eaten.
The invasive pythons number in the thousands and have unleashed havoc across more than 1,000 square miles of the Everglades region ecosystem.
What began as a family outing to help remove invasive snakes from Florida's Everglades quickly turned into a terrifying fight for survival. Carl Jackson believed he had spotted a Burmese python measuring about 12 feet as it crossed a dirt road in Big Cypress National Preserve.
A 15-feet-long python weighing nearly 25 kg was spotted in Putri Kheda village of Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, causing panic among residents. Snake rescuer Amar Singh Lodhi rescued the reptile with help from the Forest Department and released it into a dense forest.
