Eating its prey can be a process for a python, which is why it relies so heavily on its jaw to get the job done, including consuming a whole deer.

Brandon Welty eased his airboat named “Python Patrol” onto the rocky edge of a man-made island carved from the spoil of a canal near Everglades Holiday Park. His team was on a mission.

Large pythons have shared forests, grasslands and river systems across Asia for thousands of years, yet two of the region's most famous species are often mistaken for one another. The Burmese python and the Indian rock python belong to the same genus and were even treated as closely related forms of the same species for many years.

Hunters participating in the Florida Python Challenge in July will have an abundance of python meet. But it is advised that it not be eaten.