Biologists with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida could not look away as they watched a 15-foot python devour a 77-pound white-tailed deer, revealing the snakes can eat even larger prey than previously known.
The scientists studied three Burmese pythons, ranging in size from 15 to 19 feet, to determine their maximum gape, meaning how wide they can stretch their jaw.
Previous studies stated the largest gape was a diameter of 8.7 inches, but their research revealed a new gape of 10.2 inches. That means Burmese pythons can consume prey that is six times larger than other snake species, WFLA reported.
The study proved "more animals are on the menu," which exacerbates the invasive species' presence in Southwest Florida.
"The impact the Burmese python is having on native wildlife cannot be denied. This is a wildlife issue of our time for the Greater Everglades ecosystem," Ian Bartoszek, a biologist from the study, told WFLA.
He added that watching the "invasive apex predator swallow a full-sized deer in front of you is something that you will never forget."
To protect the local ecosystem, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida has removed about 770 pythons each year since 2012. That equates to about 36,000 pounds of python that have been removed as of October 2024.
Further, the group has tagged and are tracking 120 pythons to learn more about the species.
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