COLLIER COUNTY, Fla.– Enough invasive Burmese Pythons to equal the weight of 20,000 pounds have been removed in Collier County. Since 2013, The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has been tracking the movements of the invasive creature. Their team of biologists and volunteers have now released the biggest study of its kind.  “Now we have an invasive apex predator here that’s causing a considerable disturbance in the ecosystem,” said Ian Bartoszek, Environmental Science Project Manager and Wildlife Biologist for the Conservancy. Bartoszek calls Burmese Pythons an unfortunate product of the pet trade. He said at one point the animal either escaped or was released into the wild. Since then, Burmese Pythons have taken food and space away from the endangered Florida Panther, among other species. “Our study area happens to be right on the edge of town here. We’re not deep in the Everglades,” he said. Bartoszek’s team tagged 80 pythons with radio trackers and decided to put the focus on 25 of them. Over time, they documented the animal’s movements to help other removal efforts in the future. Over 1,000 snakes were removed and brought back to the Conservancy’s Snake Lab in Naples. Most of them were female. A python female can 42 eggs at a time, on average. “We’re taking out 120-pound snakes from a mile out in the woods, bringing it back out to our truck. It’s a team effort,” Bartoszek said. In the process, his team captured the largest female Burmese Python documented in Florida, weighing 185 pounds. They also captured the heaviest male ever documented in the wild at 140 pounds. “…A lot of sweat, a little bit of blood to get after these animals,” Bartoszek explained. For the full research article click HERE.