By Sandra Birungi

A snake hunt in Florida turned up 68 Burmese pythons.

The snakes were found in a competition in the Florida Everglades. Burmese pythons can grow up to 14 feet or more and are estimated to be more than 100,000.

The snake hunt was sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission from January to February, encouraging hunters to find the snakes with the promise of prizes. “It’s an amazing challenge to try to come out and hunt these big snakes,” hunter Dennis Jordan said.

“Thanks to the determination of Python Challenge competitors, we are able to gather invaluable information that will help refine and focus combined efforts to control pythons in the Everglades,” commission executive director Nick Wiley said.