Florida python hunters catch a 16-foot, 300-pound Burmese snake, one of the largest ever caught in the Sunshine State

It took the combined might of five Florida python hunters to subdue a colossal Burmese python as the species threatens native wildlife and continues to disrupt ecosystems within the state.

Mike Elfenbein, Carter Gavlock and three other hunters – including Elfenbein’s teenage son Cole – captured the python Friday evening at Big Cypress National Preserve.

At 17 feet, two inches tall and 198 pounds, she was the second heaviest reportedly caught in the state.

The remains of a deer, including its hooves, were found in her stomach.

“A new personal record,” Elfenbein shouted on Facebook. ‘This snake ate many native animals to grow so big. She’s eaten her last meal!’

Elfenbein and his son Cole were part of the team that brought down the 17-foot, 2-inch long snake, which weighed just under 200 pounds

Burmese pythons are not only one of the largest snakes in the world, but also highly invasive and pose a threat to native species in Florida

The capture was the culmination of a team effort that saw Amy Siewe, a real estate agent turned hunter, called in to euthanize the animal.

“She killed so many of our animals. Never again,” Siewe wrote on Facebook.

The self-proclaimed ‘Python Huntress’ himself caught a 20-foot snake in 2020 – a feat that appears to be a rite of passage.

Elfenbein expressed his support for the group that helped subdue the slippery giant.

“We were absolutely unprepared for such a large python,” he wrote. ‘Until you have such a copy in your hands, it is difficult to comprehend.’

The longtime sportsman is the executive director of the Cypress chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, a national conservation organization.

Elfenbein himself was in Washington DC last year to discuss restoration initiatives for the Everglades.

“Our dedicated Executive Director and his son had an intense meeting last night at Big Cypress National Preserve,” the nonprofit posted on social media.

“This encounter is a stark reminder of the relentless fight against invasive species that threaten our native wildlife populations. We are committed to controlling these invaders to protect our precious natural habitats.”

Friday night’s catch wasn’t enough to usurp the record-breaking 215-pound python caught last June.

That snake weighed 215 pounds and was captured by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, a Naples-based environmental group that has been fighting to remove invasive species for a decade.

Amy Siewe, who bills herself as the ‘Python Huntress’, was called to euthanize the animal. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Burmese pythons must be killed on site

Elfenbein is the executive director of the Cypress chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, a nonprofit conservation organization

Deer bone fragments and hooves were found in the snake’s stomach after it was skinned

The species is directly responsible for the decline of several species in Florida, including raccoons and opossums

Elfenbein continues to advocate for the protection of native habitat and traveled to DC last year to discuss Everglades restoration initiatives

Although Florida is home to all kinds of strange animals, this particular python – one of the largest in the world – is not native to the state.

Although the species is not venomous and poses no direct physical threat to humans, it preys on native animals including raccoons and opossums.

Mammals whose populations have declined most significantly are regularly found in the stomachs of pythons removed from Everglades National Park and elsewhere.

The snakes have established a breeding population in South Florida and compete with native wildlife for food, causing the population to decline.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, animals must be “killed humanely on site” at the time of capture.