Snake hunters caught five pythons in Miami-Dade Monday as part of the South Florida Water Management District's python elimination program.
Two different hunters captured the pythons, which ranged in size from four feet to eleven feet long. All were caught on South Florida Water Management District lands.
Officials say pythons are non-native, invasive snakes that are spreading throughout South Florida. They pose direct threats to humans and native wildlife.
"They're wreaking havoc on our small mammals, our migratory birds. Some places this stuff is disappearing 95 percent," python hunter Dusty Crum said.
Crum said he stays up all night looking for the snakes that camouflage with the grass.
"One snake like this has probably consumed 100 birds, 100 mammals, so any one that we take out will help," python hunter George Brana said.
Nearly 200 pythons have been captured since the program began. The program will continue until September.
