None for me, thank you.
In 2022, Florida scientist and internet personality Rosie Moore posted a video on Instagram of herself and her colleagues performing a necropsy on an 18-foot Burmese python. The video, which currently has over 440,000 likes, revealed that the large snake had swallowed an entire alligator.
The non-native Burmese python has long plagued the Everglades, preying on all kinds of animals such as the endangered Key Largo woodrat. The large constrictors, originally from Asia, are considered an invasive species due to their impact on the area’s wildlife, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.
In an effort to rid the Everglades of these snakes, the FWC works with partners to host the Florida Python Challenge and incentivize novice, professional and military hunters to euthanize these snakes. The challenge ends on Sunday, Aug. 18.
What is the Florida Python Challenge?
The Florida Python Challenge is a python removal competition that happens in August. Participants have nine days to kill as many Burmese pythons as possible. The 2024 python removal competition begins at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 9 and ends at 5 p.m. on Aug. 18. The competition helps protect the Everglades habitat and all its native animals by removing the invasive Burmese pythons.
Everything to know: Florida Python Challenge, the snake hunt with a cult-like following
How to register for the 2024 Florida Python Challenge
Interested hunters can register right up until the last day of the competition on Aug. 18.
To register, participants must read the rules and regulations provided by the Florida Python Challenge and complete the required online training with a score of 85% or higher. Then, they can complete their registration and pay the $25 fee. Register here.
Can you use a gun to kill a Burmese python in the Florida Python Challenge?
Participants are not allowed to use firearms to kill pythons during the Florida Python Challenge because there’s no established firearm season at the competition locations during the time frame. Novices must humanely kill their captured pythons immediately after catching them. You can use air guns and captive bolts to kill pythons at any time of day or night.
Review the rules: Can you use a gun to kill a python in the Florida Python Challenge? Here’s the rules
Hunt humanely: 5 things to know to kill a Burmese python humanely in Florida Python Challenge
Burmese python hunt is on. What other animals in Florida can kill you?
For the general public, pythons are easy enough to avoid. They aren’t venomous, but they are killers and known to consume large alligators and deer, sometimes to explosive effects.
They join many other animals in Florida — some native like the alligator, some invasive like the Burmese pythons — that pose risks to humans or can even kill you.
Read full story here: Python hunt: Florida has dangerous animals that can kill. Here’s a list of the deadliest
Ashley Ferrer is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Instagram video shows Florida Burmese python swallowed alligator
