Record-breaking 17ft Burmese python bursting with 87 eggs is found in Florida...and authorities let it roam free for a MONTH on purpose

By LAURA PULLMAN

Monstrous: Researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History examine the largest Burmese python ever found in Florida. The 17-foot-7-inch snake weighed 164 pounds and carried a record-breaking 87 eggs

A monstrous Burmese python measuring 17 feet, 7 inches and carrying a record-breaking 87 eggs has been captured in Florida.
Weighing in at a colossal 164.5 pounds, the giant female is the largest snake of its kind found in the state and serves as further evidence of how the foreign predator is threatening local wildlife, say researchers.
'This thing is monstrous, it's about a foot wide,' said Kenneth Krysko, from the Florida Museum of Natural History. 'It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild, there's nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble.'

Invasion: Burmese pythons, native to southern Asia, arrived in the U.S. three decades ago as part of the exotic pet industry. Although the species are not poisonous they are powerful enough to kill humans

The massive constrictor snake was first caught by researchers in the Everglades National Park in March. After being fitted with radio transmitters, it was returned to the wild as what scientists call a ‘Judas snake.’
Scientists tracked the snake's movements to learn about how the species are invading the area - using the bugged reptile to locate other snakes as they congregated for mating.
Burmese pythons, native to southern Asia, arrived in the U.S. three decades ago as part of the exotic pet industry. Although the species are not poisonous they are powerful enough to kill humans by suffocating them.

Record-breaking: Researchers examined the internal anatomy of the 17-foot-7-inch snake and found a state record 87 eggs in the python

The researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey recaptured the predator in April and it was euthanized using isoflurane gas.
The snake was taken to the Museum of National History for examination where a staggering 87 eggs and feathers were found in its stomach. The feathers will now be identified by the museum’s ornithologists.
Researchers believe that the Burmese python population ranges from the thousands to the hundreds of thousands.

source: dailymail