Python hunter catches 17-foot snake, sets Florida record

Mark Bergin | WTSP-TV, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.

TAMPA — A massive python caught early Friday morning in Florida has broken a state record.

The 17-foot, 1-inch python is the largest ever caught under Florida's Python Elimination Program, which started earlier this year to protect the Everglades.

Python hunter Jason Leon caught the snake in in southern Miami-Dade County. He said the python weighs about 132 pounds.

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"That snake could pretty much kill any full-grown man," Leon told NBC6.

Leon broke the previous record of the 16-foot, 11-inch python caught by Dusty "Wildman" Crum in November.

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