Florida scientists got more than they ever imagined when they actually came across a Burmese python eating a full-grown deer.

Pythons swallow deer, alligators and other prey whole. What they can eat is limited to and dependent on how big the Burmese python’s mouth opening can stretch.

The giant Burmese python has been known to consume large animals like a deer. But the length of time it can go between meals is impressive.

Burmese pythons wreak havoc across the Florida Everglades. The invasive snakes eat just about anything. Do they eat alligators? What animals eat them?

But captured pythons, at the top of the food chain, are listed as unsafe to eat by both the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Learning how pythons eat is important, given the 90% decline in native mammals in the Florida Everglades.