Can we all just agree that ticks are the worst? Maybe tied with mosquitoes? A new video from Python Cowboy, an invasive-python hunter in the Florida Everglades, shows the moment a group of people looking for pythons found one in dreadful shape. Ticks were eating this giant snake alive as she sat on her nest full of eggs.
In the video, starting at about four minutes and 40 seconds, you see the python hunters come across a large python sitting on her nest. Right away, the Python Hunter (who goes by “Trapper Mike”) notices there’s something wrong. Large, engorged ticks are covering the python’s face and body. Trapper Mike estimates there are hundreds of them feasting on the snake. It’s a gruesome sight.
Watch the group discover and handle the tick-covered python here:
Invasive Pythons in Florida
Pythons are an invasive species in the Florida Everglades. They’re constrictors, which means they squeeze their prey to death before eating it whole, and they don’t have venom.
Python hunters like Trapper Mike catch and kill these animals to benefit the ecosystem as a whole. Invasive species compete with native species for resources, such as food and shelter.
Have you ever seen an animal with a tick infestation?