Burmese pythons, which are native to Southeast Asia, pose a significant threat to native wildlife in Florida where they are an invasive species.

Outside the python’s range, those species were more common. The snakes also competed with native predators, like bobcats. One study released marsh rabbits in areas with and without pythons.

Note: in Python, indexes start at 0, and the maximum is non-inclusive; for example, specifying the range 1 to 5 will include the second, third, fourth, and fifth values.

"This was definitely someone's pet animal, which makes a pretty tragic story," reptile handler Joseph Hart said.