“I was trying to get carried away”

The record-breaking snake was found at Big Cypress National Preserve in Naples on July 10, according to The Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

<p>conservation</p>
<p> An image of the 19-foot python captured in Naples on July 10″ src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/caZAhrwepekz.RrIGYHwcw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA–/https://media .zenfs.com/en/people_218/94bc0b554de30a6d53607a95d89aed42″/></p>
<p>conservation</p>
<p> An image of the 19-foot python captured in Naples on July 10″ src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/caZAhrwepekz.RrIGYHwcw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA–/https://media .zenfs.com/en/people_218/94bc0b554de30a6d53607a95d89aed42″ class=”caas-img”/><button class= — protection

An image of the 19-foot python captured in Naples on July 10

A group of snake hunters recently captured the longest Burmese python ever recorded in Florida.

The record snake – which is 19 feet long and 125 pounds. — was found at the Big Cypress National Preserve in Naples on July 10, according to a news release from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

Jake Waleri, 22, was part of “a group of passionate python hunters” who helped battle the reptile, which is believed to be more than 20 years old, according to CBS affiliate WINK-TV.

Even wilder? Some of his friends had never gone python hunting before their encounter with the enormous snake, according to the media outlet.

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The group first tried to catch the snake in a net, but when Jake tried to catch the snake by the head, he put up a fight.

“The snake went absolutely crazy,” Jake told WINK-TV. “He was trying to wrap me up, trying to strangle me and my friends.”

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The group then brought the animal to the Conservancy, where they learned that what they had found was special.

<p>conservation</p>
<p> An image of the 19-foot python captured in Naples on July 10″ src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/T0oC5zkDtYIJcXGCnhAnFA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcxOQ–/https://media.zenfs .com/en/people_218/59d04aae83c020d9722f5e31fa627b6a”/></p>
<p>conservation</p>
<p> An image of the 19-foot python captured in Naples on July 10″ src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/T0oC5zkDtYIJcXGCnhAnFA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcxOQ–/https://media.zenfs .com/en/people_218/59d04aae83c020d9722f5e31fa627b6a” class=”caas-img”/><button class= — protection

An image of the 19-foot python captured in Naples on July 10

The previous record for the longest python found in Florida was 18 feet, 9 inches, according to the nonprofit organization.

“We had a feeling these snakes were getting this big and now we have clear evidence,” biologist Ian Easterling said in the Conservancy statement. “Its genetic material could prove valuable for a possible understanding of the founding population of South Florida.”

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Meanwhile, Jake is happy knowing that he helped “make an impact on South Florida’s environment.”

“We love this ecosystem and try to preserve it as much as possible,” he said.

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