The snake was captured on July 9 in the park's Shark Valley and was documented at 18 feet 3 inches long. It's just 4 inches shy of the state's record 18 foot 7 inch python caught in Miami-Dade, CBS notes. Whether it's indeed the second-largest, officially, remains unclear, due to differences in record-keeping in and outside of the park.
Florida has struggled to contain the pythons, which lack a natural predator and wreak havoc with small mammal populations in the park.
The snake, a female, was euthanized, park officials said.
There could be more than 100,000 Burmese pythons in South Florida. Native to Asia, it exists in Florida thanks to an international pet trade that started decades ago, according to CBS.
From Discovery News
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