Ian Easterling News Today

Trackers placed in males led to the mating balls, officials said.

A radio-collared male python led scientists to a giant, breeding female on a recent outing in South Florida.

A radio-collared male python led wildlife biologists to a giant, breeding female on a recent outing in South Florida

Members from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida captured a 16 foot, 120-pound female Burmese python. Removal of the snake was critical.

Suddenly, the team was face to face with a Burmese python that was longer than a rhino, a walrus, a hippo and an African elephant.

Scientists warn to never underestimate the Burmese python

Burmese pythons have wreaked ecological havoc in Florida since the 1990s. Scientists now believe they could keep moving north.

Scientists warn to never underestimate the Burmese python

Burmese pythons are a beautiful but deadly invasive species that is decimating native Florida wildlife, killing off upward of 90% of the mammal population in some areas, and expanding their range north.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jake Waleri couldn’t come to the phone last Thursday night. Just days after he caught the longest Burmese python ever recorded in Florida, measuring 19-feet long, he was out for another late night of hunting. Waleri, 22, of Naples, and a group of fellow python hunters captured the 125-pound invasive behemoth, a female, in the Big Cypress National Preserve early Monday ...