S. Florida Fears New Everglades 'Super Snake'

A state-coordinated hunt for a new invasive python population is under way in the Everglades, amid fears that Southern Florida could soon be home to a new “super snake.” The 3-day hunt launched Tuesday has so far nabbed at least five African rock pythons, one of them 14 feet long. Environmental officials fear that signals a full population of the snake out there, not a few wayward released pets, reports the Sun-Sentinel.

“They are bigger and meaner than the Burmese python,” said one official. “It’s not good news.” One of the pythons captured measured 21 inches around the middle. Worse, officials fear that the African rock pythons will mate with the Burmese species, creating a “super snake” that will menace the region’s wildlife. (More Everglades stories.)