Burmese Python Snake Devours Entire Deer In Florida

A Burmese python has been documented eating a deer that weighed more than the snake does at Florida's Collier-Seminole State Park, a research organization revealed.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida took pictures of the 31.5-pound snake regurgitating the 35-pound fawn in what is believed to be the first time such a predator/prey ratio has been caught on film for the Burmese python, Medium reported.

"This observation is another important piece of evidence for the negative impact invasive Burmese pythons are having on native wildlife across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem," said Ian Bartoszek, a biologist at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

"Imagine the potential consequences to the state and federally protected Florida panther if Burmese pythons adversely affect the number of white-tailed deer, a panther's primary prey," he added.

Having followed the snake, the team captured it regurgitating the body of a white-tailed deer that it had earlier ingested, with pictures showing the snake had already digested the deer's head but had not yet digested the body.

The deer was 110 percent of the snake's body mass, demonstrating the impact the reptile was having on the food chain in the local area.

Explaining the footage, the organization said one of its missions was to protect the wildlife in the local area, with a "new apex predator making its way through the bottom of the food chain."

The research examined just how far up the food chain the Burmese python had moved, with CBSreporting studies that show the snake may be responsible for a 90 percent decline in small mammal populations in the area.

Indeed, Bartoszek explained that the pythons, which are not native to the area, are a product of the pet trade and had been wreaking havoc on the local wildlife population.

Pythons can grow far larger than the one caught on camera and have been known to eat a variety of wildlife, including rabbits, vermin and now deer.