Where would you look for a Burmese python? Florida, of course! This fascinating but chilling documentary goes on the trail of this massive beast with a registered snake hunter through the Everglades, and poses the question: Are there megasnakes out there?
It is not entirely clear how this invasive species invaded the Sunshine State, but it was probably a combination of unwanted pets, and escapees from animal breeding centres in the wake of the 1992 hurricane.
Unlike most species, pythons continue to grow until they die, so in theory the only limit to growth is the size of the creature's appetite, which is not an appetising thought for its prey, including many protected and endangered species. Although they do not target humans there have been some terrible tragedies in recent years. In 2009, a 2 year old girl was killed in Florida when a family pet escaped from its aquarium and attacked her in her crib. Last year, an African rock python escaped from a pet shop in New Brunswick, Canada, and strangled two young boys, the oldest of whom was nearly seven, so clearly these apparently slow moving reptiles are never to be treated with contempt.
We meet Fluffy, an 18 year old reticulated python and one of the prize possessions of the Columbus Zoo And Aquarium in Ohio – she died before this documentary was released. We meet also titanoboa, the largest snake that ever slithered the Earth. He died around 58 million years before Fluffy, but unless their appetites are spiked, there are some who believe Florida's Burmese pythons may one day break that record.
It is not entirely clear how this invasive species invaded the Sunshine State, but it was probably a combination of unwanted pets, and escapees from animal breeding centres in the wake of the 1992 hurricane.
Unlike most species, pythons continue to grow until they die, so in theory the only limit to growth is the size of the creature's appetite, which is not an appetising thought for its prey, including many protected and endangered species. Although they do not target humans there have been some terrible tragedies in recent years. In 2009, a 2 year old girl was killed in Florida when a family pet escaped from its aquarium and attacked her in her crib. Last year, an African rock python escaped from a pet shop in New Brunswick, Canada, and strangled two young boys, the oldest of whom was nearly seven, so clearly these apparently slow moving reptiles are never to be treated with contempt.
We meet Fluffy, an 18 year old reticulated python and one of the prize possessions of the Columbus Zoo And Aquarium in Ohio – she died before this documentary was released. We meet also titanoboa, the largest snake that ever slithered the Earth. He died around 58 million years before Fluffy, but unless their appetites are spiked, there are some who believe Florida's Burmese pythons may one day break that record.
