A Sunday drive through the Everglades turned into an adventure for two Southwest Florida men.
"My buddy who was driving saw it out of the corner of his eye," said Jim Falk.
Falk and his friend saw python along the side of Tamiami Trail.
"It could have been a 14-foot snake."
While many people would run away from such a large serpent, Jim got closer, with his camera rolling, and he wasn't scared. "We are a little quicker than that snake is and we had a guardrail between us so it was a safe situation."
The snake was still motionless when both men approached it. That's when Falk decided to have a little fun. "That's because I gave it a little nudge with my foot, I wanted to get a little action out of it."
The python quickly slithered off to the swamp, but not before Jim's friend tried to grab the snake. "My buddy Paul got to touch it, which was on his bucket list."
Jim says he's glad he encountered the python on asphalt, rather than in the wilderness. "I've always wanted to see one in the wild, but I don't think I'm gonna be trucking through the swamps. So this was an easy way to see one."
FWC does not recommend handling python's unless you're trained to do so. Python's are not venomous, but they have sharp fangs and they will attack.
You can report sightings of pythons to FWC’s Exotic Species Hotline at 888-IVE-GOT1 (888- 483-4681), or you can use the web form at IveGot1.org.
