Photographer Stumbles Upon 15 Foot Python Crossing the Road in Florida

A wildlife photographer captured the moment she stumbled upon a massive 15-foot Burmese python crossing the road in Florida.

Photographer Kymberly Clark spotted the giant Burmese python slithering across the road toward Everglade National Park in Florida, U.S. on January 2.

According to her Instagram post, Clark was with fellow photographer friends Lu Behrens and Tippy Prescott when they came upon the enormous snake lying in the middle of the road.

The photographer estimates that the reptile was at least 15 feet long.

“No, Siri, we don’t want to proceed to the route,” Clark joked in the caption of the video that showed her outside of her car and several feet away from the snake.

Towards the end of Clark’s clip, the Burmese Python slithers across the road into the grass away from the group.

The photographers pinned the python’s location and reported it to authorities since the snakes “are a huge threat to our ecosystem.”

A Threat

Pythons are generally found in China or India but have become a recent threat to Florida.

Fox News reports that according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the snake began appearing in the Everglades over two decades ago when the reptiles were imported as pets.

Many were believed to have escaped or been released into the wild.

Wildlife officials encourage the removal or humane killing of the Burmese python to reduce its impact on the environment.

The pythons can be killed at any time throughout the year and no permit is required, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The snakes can reach a length of over 25 feet and weigh as much as 200 pounds. The average size of a python removed in Florida is usually between 8 and 10 feet.

In an Instagram comment, Clarks notes that her friend estimated that the python was 15-feet using a smartphone app.

“My friend uses an iPhone app to measure it which approximated 15.2 feet,” the photographer writes.

“Since it’s on a two-lane highway and my friend walks into the background, it makes it a little easier to visualize its huge size.

“I have read that a Python this size can swallow a whole deer or 5′ gator (there are videos of such being removed from Pythons).”

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