Most Monstrous Pythons Ever Caught in Florida

The Python Challenge is upon us this weekend! Check out the beastliest Burmese pythons nabbed in Florida to date.

August 8, 2024

Researchers transport a female Burmese python weighing 215 pounds and measuring 17 feet 7 inches in length to their lab in Naples. Screenshot via National Geographic

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'Twas the night before the Python Challenge, when through the 'Glades lakes, not a creature was stirring, not even the snakes!

The annual Florida Python Challenge kicks off tomorrow (August 9), drawing people from around the world to the Florida Everglades to compete for who can wrangle the most — as well as the longest — Burmese pythons. The challenge is part of the state's broader efforts to protect the Everglades from the snakes, which were first detected in the national park in 2000 and are considered one of the most damaging invasive species in its history.

The challenge is simple: a $10,000 prize goes to the person who catches the most pythons, while $1,000 is awarded to whoever catches the longest.

The enormous snakes can grow more than 18 feet in length and weigh more than 200 pounds.

Naturally, you might be wondering: What are some of the biggest pythons ever caught in Florida?

Without further ado...

Longest

19 feet
In July 2023, hunters in the Big Cypress National Preserve in eastern Collier County captured the largest Burmese python ever recorded in the wild in Florida, measuring an impressive 19 feet in length.
18 feet, 9 inches
In 2020, python hunters Ryan Ausburn and Kevin Pavlidis captured a python that measured a colossal 18 feet, 9 inches west of Miami.
18 feet
In 2013, snake hunter Jason Leon captured a then-record 18-foot python in southeastern Miami-Dade County. The snake weighed 128 pounds. 17 feet
In 2020, python hunter Mike Kimmel (known as the "Python Cowboy") caught a 17-foot python on a spoil island in the Florida Everglades.

Heaviest

215 pounds
In 2022, Conservancy of Southwest Florida biologists caught the heaviest Burmese python ever recorded in the Everglades. The female python, which had been feasting on white-tailed deer, weighed a whopping 215 pounds and measured 17 feet and 7 inches long.
198 pounds
In 2023, a 198-pound python was captured in the Big Cypress Preserve, making it the second-heftiest ever caught in Florida. Did we miss a big boi (or gal?) Please let us know at [email protected].

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Alex DeLuca is a Miami New Times staff writer who focuses on news, crime, and public safety, education, and cannabis. Prior to joining New Times in June 2020, Alex worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and freelanced for The Appeal. She holds a bachelor's degree from the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida.

Contact: Alex DeLuca

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