Collier County python hunter captures near-record 202-pound Burmese python

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. A Burmese python weighing in at 202 pounds was captured, marking it as the second-heaviest ever recorded in Florida. It was 13 pounds away from breaking the record, and just one more meal could have changed the books.

Carl Jackson, a contracted python hunter, realized the snake's size when it wrapped around his leg and dragged him nearly 15 feet through the swamp.

An adult hand placed on the python looked more like a child's due to the snake's sheer size. The python's length matched that of Jackson and his two kids combined.

"I see a head about yay big," Jackson said.

Almost instantly, the python took control.

"He just started dragging me," Jackson said. "And I started yelling, I need help. And she drug me through some real thick brush over red and black ant hill, and started dragging me into some more brush."

Jackson, who is also a volunteer firefighter, compared the snake's strength to that of a firehose.

"With the strength that it's got, it's like you're not in there," he said. "Just keeps on pulling and didn't even care take me through the ant hills."

Jackson's kids, who had just become certified python hunters the day before, found the catch exciting.