Burmese pythons spread beyond the Everglades as Florida's Python Challenge begins, offering $25,000 in prizes.

"There were a lot of little baby snakes just getting out of the nest."

It's important for new or wanna-be python hunters to understand the basics when it comes to eliminating the invasive creatures.

A giant snake once kept as an exotic pet can become a serious ecological problem when it enters the wrong environment. In the wetlands of southern Florida, Burmese pythons have established themselves far from their native range in Southeast Asia,

"We're not putting these animals out there and in harm's way. Harm's way is there. We're just documenting what is happening."

Burmese pythons are recognizable by more than their size. Hunters should be on the lookout for a telltale, arrow-shaped marking on the snake’s head, along with giraffe-like spots across its body and dark spots around its eyes. During the summer months, they’re most likely to be found sunning on levee banks or near trees.

Florida's Burmese pythons have reached a level of lore in Florida that perhaps no other animals have held in the state. They're the ultimate of swamp monsters. Pythons are gigantic predators from halfway around the world that have consumed a significant ...