Researchers last week captured and killed the largest Burmese python to be removed from Big Cypress National Preserve in the Florida Everglades, according to wildlife officials.
The 5.2m, 63kg female snake - an invasive species devastating to native wildlife - was discovered using a new tracking approach that leans on technology and the laws of attraction.
Burmese pythons caught in Florida are often 1.8m to 3m long, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In their native lands, the snakes commonly reach 5.4m and can exceed 6m.
Male pythons are tagged with radio transmitters, allowing researchers to track the male as it moves toward breeding females. The female python that wildlife officials found last week contained 73 developing eggs. The breeding season for Burmese pythons is between January and April.
FWC officials said that using radio transmitters was part of a larger, collaborative effort to eradicate the nonnative species from South Florida.