13:02
I'm here in the Florida Everglades searching for the Burmese python, one of the largest snake species on the planet. And I'm attempting to catch one with my bare hands. Great, there you go. Oh my god. What's up, guys? I'm Ray Tiller, lifelong Brave Wilderness fan now living the dream as a host on the channel. Coyote has sent me on a mission to not only find a python, but see if I have what it takes to wrangle one in. Not only am I teaming up with two of the best python experts in South Florida, but I'm also working with Harrison and Evan Black from
the Wildlife Brothers. And Harrison was actually an intern at Brave Wilderness back in the day. So, we've got the extended Brave Wilderness family here today. It's going to be one wild adventure. We're out here kind of scouting the side of the road here. It's early morning, and what do we find? This nice little eastern diamondback rattlesnake curled up in this little pocket of sun. One of the most beautiful snakes in North America. It's always a good sign when you get up close with a rattlesnake. So, Kyle, what do we have here? So, we see all the subtle signs that snakes leave behind, and sometimes it's hard to tell. Was this
from a python, or was it from another animal? We know for sure this one was from a python cuz there's a shed right here. But, this is that subtle sign I'm talking about. See that? Perfect circular tube right there. That was from about a 6-7 ft python. It crawled through right there. And it took its shed off right here on the grass. Hopefully, we'll get one. Probably not far away from one right now. Yeah, fingers crossed. Yeah. The Burmese python is, of course, an invasive species here in Florida. It is destroying the ecosystem
of the Everglades. Not only am I being put to the test to wrangle in the biggest snake of my life, but we're hopefully going to be able to collect some meaningful data to help protect the Florida Everglades. It's the first deer I've seen here. We've been surveying this area for like over 3 years. That's actually pretty incredible. The big pythons really eat a lot of the big deer. It's surprising to see them still out here. That's really awesome. Two beautiful deer on their way. Hopefully, staying safe from any pythons. It's what we're out here to do is help protect animals
just like that. Check out what we have right here. Another very good sign that we're hiking in the right terrain. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a python skeleton. I'm going to slowly pick it up. Obviously, they grow to much larger sizes than this, but again, a very, very good sign. Let's see if we can get a an up-close shot of the little teeth, those backward-facing teeth that the python have. Hopefully, that's not foreshadowing a uh unfortunate incident later today. Let's keep searching. So, we are taking a brand new approach searching now. We hiked over 8 mi by foot. We're
not able to find a python. All the right signs. We know we're searching in the right area. Now, we're sticking to a little more road cruising along these canals and these bodies of water here. And we're even going to end up riding on top of the guard off-roading in the Hyundai Elantra. Haha. There is so many firsts for me today on this adventure. This is like the ultimate Hyundai ad that we're pulling through right now. As long as we get through to the other side.
Oh my god. Look at the size of that diamondback. That is probably the largest diamondback I've ever seen. I got to be really careful. I don't want to get too close to the snake now. Let me try to get on the other side to get that shot. Good. Look how girthy and beefy this snake is. Definitely girthier than my forearm. And I mean, I don't have the girthiest forearms on the planet, but still, this snake is huge, so robust, so powerful. The patterning on it is unlike anything else. And this snake is the king of the Everglades. It is by far the most venomous snake we could come across out here. And this is
a great animal to showcase because this snake is in direct competition with something like a Burmese python hunting small mammals out here, especially. The pythons are taking away those prey items from snakes like this. So, let's keep searching for pythons. I do not want to stress this rattlesnake out more than I have to. Let's see what else we can find. Woo! It continuously amazes me that there are upwards of tens of thousands of Burmese pythons currently existing in the Florida Everglades, yet they are so difficult to spot. So, hopes are high,
fingers and toes crossed. I think we're going to pull one up at some point. As we're sitting here getting the gear ready, just about to head out at any second, we're almost at final light here. We have moved further away from where we were exploring today and put ourselves in a spot where if we find a python, it's probably going to be a big one. This episode is sponsored by Fabletics. Whether I'm at home or in the field, I want my clothes to be comfortable and functional. That's why I've been wearing Fabletics. Right now, new VIP members can get up
to 80% off their first order with up to two items discounted at 80% off and the rest of the order up to 70% off. The VIP membership is also incredibly flexible. If you decide to shop that month, your membership payment becomes a credit that can be used toward a bundle kit or any single item valued up to $100. And if you're not planning to shop that month, that's okay, too. Just skip between the 1st and 5th of the month and you'll still keep access to VIP pricing with savings of up to 50% off. What really stands out to me is the performance of the clothing itself.
The fabric is moisture-wicking, anti-odor, and built with four-way stretch making it comfortable no matter where I am. With reinforced stitching, plus a wide range of sizes, fits, inseams, and lined or unlined options, it's easy to find gear that works for you. To take advantage of the introductory VIP offer and save up to 80% off your first order, click the link in the description below and sign up today. Now, let's get back to the adventure. This is just so exciting. The real Oh, nice catch. Did you see something? Really, really interesting find. Kyle, what did we just come across? We've
got two Burmese python tracks right here. So, as I've been saying, this is the very, very beginning of the breeding season. And right now, the females are leaving scent pheromones around the Everglades, which is why I imagine that big track was the big female. And it looks like a male snake picked up on that scent and also went this way. Wow. Following in behind her. And let's see if we can figure out which way it was going. Yeah, we should definitely look around.
Python. Got one? Right here. Yep. Right here. Wow. Let's go. Wow. Great. There you go. Oh my god. Nice. Wow. This is a big snake. There you go, man. Let's go. We literally tracked it down. As you can see during the catch on uh Megan's finger here, she took a little nip from this python. The snake was buried down in the tall grass and started to move. Had to immediately go in. I've got it. I've got her. Let's move right over here with this beautiful female Burmese python. Look at the sheer size and scale of this snake. This is incredible. By far, the largest snake that
I have ever captured or seen before in the wild. Wow, it is so robust. The strength of the snake is just almost indescribable. It is 100% pure muscle. And of course, these snakes are non-venomous. But they get their prey by constricting, which you can perfectly see going around my arm right there. Like I said, this is a very good size Burmese python. Just about ideal for my first ever catch here in the Everglades. Now, a bite from this snake is still absolutely no joke. They can have upwards of 100 teeth in their mouth. Oh, you're
okay, girl. You're okay. And those teeth, they have two rows on the top, one row on the bottom, and they are backwards-facing which means whatever they grip onto very hard to get out of the mouth. And these snakes, one once they lock onto a potential prey item with those backward-facing teeth, they will quickly coil around their prey item and that's where constricting comes in to subdue their prey. Now, it's not necessarily about suffocation. It's more about slowing blood flow to the brain. Just like a venomous species, this python will not chew on its prey.
It will swallow it whole. The snake can open its mouth up to an incredible size and the biggest pythons here in the Everglades are feasting on some insanely large animals. Anything from a deer to even a 5-ft plus gator can be consumed by a python if it is of suitable size. Now, the python is native to the areas of Southeast Asia and it's believed they were introduced around the year of 1979. Just a handful of pythons were introduced here into the Everglades. Many people had them as pets. They said, "Oh, I'll release them
into the Everglades. They're probably most suitable and they'll be fine out there." And over the course of a couple of decades, many, many events later, there are now tens of thousands, maybe even more pythons currently existing in the Everglades. And what makes them so detrimental is that when they hatch, they're already of enormous size. Hatchlings are around 2, maybe even 2 and 1/2 ft in length. They are born with an insane advantage and these snakes can grow to monstrous sizes. We're talking 15 to 20 ft in length, 150 to 200 lb in weight.
The snake, up close and personal, I'm now realizing is incredible. It's so beautiful, so robust. It is a perfect recipe of what Mother Nature can create and it is not the snake's fault that they are here in the Everglades. They have no idea that they're an invasive species. All they know is what their instincts are telling them and that is to survive. This one snake, by taking her out, not only are we stopping her from breeding this upcoming season, but we are saving potentially hundreds of animals here in the Everglades that she could consume over the next couple of years. This snake will probably be donated to
the Florida Gulf Coast University. They're going to study what diet this snake is eating and they're going to take into account where this snake was captured so we can better understand how to protect the Florida Everglades. Okay, so to get the full scale of this snake, I brought Harrison in here. Let's stretch her out. Okay, I'm going to support her head. Yep. I'll get her on the beginning of her body. Wow, she is strong. Look at the size of this python. Kyle, how long would you say this python is? That's looking like about a 9 and 1/2 10-ft python. Holy cow.
Oh my god, I can feel her like starting to tightly press on my neck. And obviously we're still in full control of the snake, but it is a very uncomfortable feeling. I certainly would not want to be in this scenario if I was out here by myself, but we're out here working with an incredible team. And that's part of the mission here today, working here with Kyle and Megan, shining a light on the work that they do. And they are in here day in and day out searching for these pythons because they care so much about this ecosystem. She is starting to tightly
press on my neck right there. Yeah. Let's get her off. Coyote, I'm so thrilled that you sent me on this mission. It is one thing to call myself a kind of a new face here on the in the Brave Wilderness Universe, but to be able to come out here and showcase incredible animals, incredible people is just a dream come true. This is by far one of the best adventures that I have ever been on and certainly it is a privilege to be showing this off to the Brave audience. Coyote, I can't wait to see what mission you send me on next, but until then, I'm Ray Tiller. Be brave, stay wild. I'll see you guys on the next adventure.
