Hungry Snake Sets New World Record After Devouring 3 Deer
OutdoorHub Reporters 12.06.16
Pythons are ravenous creatures. They’ve been eating their way through the Everglades, wreaking havoc on the ecosystem.
A Burmese python with a big appetite for venison was captured, euthanized and apparently set an eating record that no one can believe.
“This gustatory feat sets a record: It’s the first invasive Burmese python caught with three deer in its gut,” said study co-lead author Scott Boback, an associate professor of biology at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.
Found in the 15.6-foot-long snake’s stomach were clumps of fur, several undigested hooves, bones and teeth. Based on the size and shape of the hooves – and the presence of a baby tooth – it’s been reported that one of the deer was an adult doe, (at least 1-year-old and about 99 pounds) while the other two were fawns, one about 1 month old, the other around 2 weeks old, the researchers wrote in the study.
“If a python is capable of eating three deer in 3 months, what else are they eating that we don’t know about,” Boback asked. “We don’t even know how many of them are out there.”
It’s a pretty scary situation down in the Everglades right now. These snakes have proven they have an immense appetite, and it’s hard to judge how often they gorge themselves. Researchers know they are invasive, but could they be single handily wiping out an entire ecosystem right under our noses?
