Anaconda Found Slithering Under Florida Bridge

Florida has more than its fair share of strange animal stories, but some are just a little more bizarre than others.

Such was the case recently when a fisherman came across a 9-foot, 4-inch green anaconda slithering under the bridge on Highway 50 in the Titusville area. Recognizing the nonnative creature for what it was, he called in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for help.

The critter was ultimately caught and euthanized by the agency.

Anacondas are not native to Florida by a long shot. Considered, “pound for pound, that largest snake in the world,” according to National Geographic, they are normally found in South America’s Amazon and Orinoco basin areas. The creatures live an estimated 10 years and can grow up to 30 feet in length.

The carnivores tend to stick to swamps and marshy areas where they can catch prey with ease, the Geographic notes. They’re known to eat birds, turtles, wild pigs, deer and an occasional jaguar.

Just where this particular anaconda came from and how it found itself under a bridge in Florida remains a mystery. FWC officials, however, say nonnative snakes, like the anaconda, pose a threat to native wildlife. Residents who come across nonnative critters are asked to pick up a phone and call the agency’s Invasive Species Hotline at 1-888-483-4861.

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Green anacondas are on the state’s list of “conditional snakes and lizards.” These are creatures that are not allowed under state law to be “acquired for personal possession,” the FWC website says. Reptile dealers, public exhibitors, researchers and trappers may apply for permits to possess them. These creatures, however, must be kept indoors or in well-sealed outdoor enclosures. They must also be microchipped unless the creature will be exported out of the state within 180 days. Other conditional creatures include a variety of pythons and Nile monitors.

Nonnative pythons have become an especially large challenge throughout South Florida. The population found in the Everglades is so large the state is holding a Python Challenge in 2016. Participants in that event can win cash prizes ranging from $750 to $5,000 during the Jan. 16 through Feb. 14 roundup.

Ridding the state of nonnative creatures is such a priority for FWC, it even mentioned the challenge in a Facebook post announcing the anaconda’s capture.

To learn more about the python challenge, visit its website at Pythonchallenge.org.

Photo courtesy of Airboat Rides at Midway