Chris Moody files a dispatch from down south, where hunters are encouraged to go after the Burmese python, an invasive species of snake “that can stretch to 23 feet and weigh 200 pounds.”
Chopping off the python’s head can lead to a bloodied severed head bearing needle-sharp teeth chomping at your legs. A python brain can remain active for up to an hour after decapitation. Florida officials recommend killing the snake by firing a pressurized bolt into its brain or shooting it in the head with a gun.
Catching the python by hand without a weapon offers a trio of hunters three unappealing choices: Be the sucker who takes on the head and gets a bite on the arm; the sucker who grabs the midsection and ends up with a snake wrapped around your neck; or the sucker in the back who will almost always be covered in urine and feces — a process known politely as “musking” a predator.
More from Moody here.
