If you catch a python after the commission closes at 7 p.m., you're on your own. Burmese pythons are carnivores, surviving primarily on small mammals and birds. How Do You Catch A Burmese Python? Any signs of lethargy, redness around the mouth or signs of respiratory infection are indications of a snake that has not been well cared for. A Hunter Shows Us How Estimates are inconclusive: There could be tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of pythons in the Everglades A healthy Burmese python hatchling will have its unique coloring as soon as it comes out of the shell, so don't accept any snake that doesn't "look" like a Burmese. If you catch a snake during the hunt, the Wildlife Commission is happy to take it from you, dead or alive, she said. When a Florida water agency announced a plan to hire 25 people to catch Burmese pythons last week, I immediately thought of two of the wildest guys I’ve ever met. Pet-store sales of pythons were “through the roof” back then, adds Jeff Lester, a 49-year-old restaurant owner who worked as a stocker at a Miami Petland in the 1980s. Starting on April 1st, 25 people will be picked to work with the South Florida Water Management District, to go out looking for Burmese Pythons. When he eats his prey, he swallows the lifeless body starting at the head. It’s all part of the 2016 Python Challenge announced by the Florida Wildlife Commission. A 17-foot Burmese python was recently captured and removed from Big Cypress National Preserve in the Florida Everglades, the largest ever captured there. To Catch A Burmese Python: A Fine Art In Florida Burmese pythons are spreading from the Everglades National Park to the Florida Keys, threatening wildlife. Any signs of lethargy, redness around the mouth or signs of respiratory infection are indications of a snake that has not been well cared for. Down in the Florida Everglades, the Burmese python has become such a nuisance that wildlife officials will be holding a contest to see who can catch the largest snake. They have poor eyesight, and stalk prey using chemical receptors in their tongues and heat-sensors along the jaws. As quick as a mongoose, 90-pound, 5-foot-2-inch Lindsay McAfee pounced on the 7-foot Burmese python, pinned its head to the ground with an aluminum snake hook and stowed it in a pillow case. But the commission accepts only same-day snake delivery. Catch a Burmese python Watch us LIVE from a Python Patrol training session with staff from our nonnative species team. When the animal breathes out, the python's grip gets more and more severe. The squeezing action doesn't shatter the bones -- it just stops the breathing. Burmese python hatchlings are 18” long and the longest one captured in south Florida was 18 feet 8 inches long. If you catch a python after the commission closes at 7 p.m., you're on your own. A healthy Burmese python hatchling will have its unique coloring as soon as it comes out of the shell, so don't accept any snake that doesn't "look" like a Burmese. Prizes up to $5,000 will be offered for the longest as well as the most pythons caught beginning Jan. 16. But the commission accepts only same-day snake delivery. Among the most popular exotics at the time, Burmese pythons were also affordable at $20 to $30 a piece, easy to feed and less temperamental than boa constrictors.